I Know You
by pinkneonglowstick
Summary: Masked behind Ty Lee's simple comment at the beach was a whole hidden past. The secret history of the Crown Prince and the wrong best friend.
1. Laughter

"You don't know me, so why don't you just mind your own business?" He felt his anger start to flare up. How dare she? She knew his family, she knew how they had treated him, she knew how much they had hurt them. How could she ask such a stupid question? If she didn't know how much he wanted burn those painful memories she obviously didn't know him as well as she though he did. The more he thought about it, the more his rage seemed to get the better of him. The one person he thought he could count on to understand obviously didn't. At all.

Her large, doe-like eyes fell to the fire. After everything they had been through, how could he say that? She scoffed, trying to mask how much his biting comment had stung her. "I know you…"

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><p><strong>Never underestimate the power of laughter.<strong> Even when things are at their darkest and it doesn't seem like life is worthwhile, if you can find humor, if you can find your laughter, you can find the sun again, and that split moment of sheer joy can make all the difference in the world. The world doesn't seem so dark, and you feel as though anything is possible. Laughter has the ability to change your whole perspective on life. Laughter is the original pain-killer. Never underestimate laughter.

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><p>"Here's the way it goes…" said Azula, hatching away her little scheme. After a mid-summer day of smoldering heat in the Fire Nation, the earth finally began to cool as the sun made its daily decent.<p>

A young Zuko listened irritably; his stance wide and his arms crossed. He was uncomfortably hot, and to make matters worse he was now being forced to play with his malevolent sister and her two minions.

Next to him stood an even younger Ty Lee, clad in pink and eagerly waiting for Azula's plan to unfold. She too was uncomfortable, but it was the repellency of the prince's aura rather than the heat of the day that had caused her to shift her weight around restlessly. She cast him a sideways glace, only to feel the need to look away again. That was the first time she ever really took notice of Zuko.

It was definitely not love at first sight. Quite frankly she really didn't care about him at all, it was just that this was the first time she had actually become aware of his existence. Sure, they had technically known each other for years, and she knew that her best friend had a crush on him, but she had never really been aware of him before, never considered him as an actual human being; he had always just been present in the background.

As the young acrobat's train of thought began to wonder away uncontrollably, from the boy standing next to her to the animated fire fantails cooling off in the nearby fountain, said boy had gone and tackled Mai into said fountain.

It certainly shook her out of her daze, and she giggled at the sight. However there was another feeling that rose inside her, a more insidious one that she couldn't quite put her finger on. All she knew was that Mai was getting Zuko's attention (finally) and that that irritated her.

In a split second Ty Lee decided that is was much safer to join Azula in her ridicule than to have the princess notice the look in her own eyes and become the target of it, so she pointed at the two children in the fountain and intentionally humiliated her best friend. However, after Zuko had stormed away she saw the look of utter mortification in Mai's eyes, the look of a young girl thoroughly embarrassed in front of her first crush masked by the aloofness of Mai's usual demeanor. It was a rare and confusing look that tugged on Ty Lee's young heart and made her sincerely regret her decision.

"You two are such…urg…"Mai groaned, exasperated.

Instead of apologizing for things she couldn't take back, Ty Lee chose to lift her friend's spirit as well as she could and offer her a little encouragement, "well, you _did _look cute together. And he was super embarrassed."

Mai's pale cheeks turned a lovely shade of red, "you think?" The little glint of appreciation that appeared in her eyes revealed that Ty Lee was forgiven and she beamed as brightly as the sun.

Azula simply rolled her eyes. "Whatever. What shall we do now?"

Up until now Ty Lee had tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her leg, however now her crimson blood had began to soak through the fabric of her pants and she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. A short while ago the Fire Nation princess had knocked her down in a moment of temper and it had done a little more damage than she let on. Story of her life.

"Um, Azula," she started cautiously, "I think I need to go get my leg fixed."

While one of her friends looked over with concern, the other simply muttered, "baby," and walked off.

Ty Lee took her cue and limped towards the palace in search of a royal servant. Instead she ran into Princess Ursa, Zuko and Azula's mother, who kindly offered to patch up the small but painful wound.

She was led to a large sitting closest to the courtyard where the girl's and Zuko had been playing. It was elaborately decorated in fabrics and furniture of every shade of red. While the room was large enough to house two or three komodo rhinos comfortably, Ty Lee guessed that it was only one of the smaller, less significant rooms in the palace, possibly constructed for the use of guests. The young girl was sat on the scarlet sofa while the older woman began to work on cleaning the wound. "Ty Lee," she started, her voice kind while holding the smallest hint of suspicion, "what happened?"

The little acrobat didn't miss a beat, "I was practicing gymnastics and I fell down." She was not about to snitch on Azula and risk being burned.

Ty Lee's relationship with Azula was a complicated one. Being the same age of the Fire Nation princess, and being the daughter of nobility, it only seemed natural that she and Azula would become friends, and she honestly did enjoy her company, however hard it may be at times to withstand. But there was another dimension in their relationship; Ty Lee was irrevocably drawn to Azula, and however many times the young princess hurt her, she would always come back for more. A large part of this was the respect she held for Azula, and, no matter what she did, Ty Lee would always want her to like her. And then there was the twinge of self-worth she always got when she knew that she, Ty Lee, was one of the Fire Nation princess's best friends; a golden treasure that separated her from her sisters.

Ursa, although not entirely convinced by Ty Lee's lie, chose to let the matter slide. "I'll be right back," she said, looking straight into the younger girl's eyes, "I'm just going to find a servant to get a bandage." And with that she elegantly rose and flowed out of the room as only a noble woman could.

The intense, albeit kind, gaze of Princess Ursa had unnerved Ty Lee a little. It was by no means harsh, but it was a look that made her feel as though the older woman was staring through her soul. Azula's mother had always been civilly gracious towards her, and had even shown great kindness occasionally, but the young girl couldn't help but feel as though Ursa didn't entirely trust her. It may have had something to do with the company she kept. However Ty Lee got the feeling that the extreme, soul-bearing look was something she had been born with. Azula had the same kind of look, however where her mother used it to find the little piece of good she knew existed in everyone, Azula used it to draw out a person's deepest insecurities and exploit them to her advantage.

Left to her own devices and an injured leg, Ty Lee could do little more than sit perfectly still and investigate her surroundings in more detail. Although the room had many windows, a few of which showed a spectacular view of the outside fountain, she couldn't help but notice how dark the place seemed. But she had observed the whole palace seemed to have that feel. Like there was no laughter, no happiness. Even in the livelier areas, such as the grand ballroom, it always seemed as if the life had been sucked out of the place.

She was staring out the window, waiting for her friend's mother to return, when she saw a shadow in the door out of the corner of her eye. She tilted her head in the direction to see Zuko standing in the doorway, still soaking wet from the fountain. Curiously, he walked over to the girl sitting on the sofa. "Have you seen my mother?" he questioned, a little absentmindedly. He was intently looking at her hurt leg.

Ty Lee nodded, "yeah, she'll be back in a moment."

If Zuko had heard her, he didn't show it; he was still examining her leg. "What happened?" he asked, finally shifting his gaze from her leg to her eyes.

Once again, Ty Lee didn't miss a beat, "I was practicing gymnastics and I fell down."

The little prince shook his head decidedly. "No you didn't," he challenged, looking straight into her eyes, "you never fall down."

She drew in a breath; there was that look again. That intense, golden, soul-piercing look. However Zuko's stare was completely original from either his mother's or sister's. Ursa's was one of kindness and hope while Azula's was one of manipulation and cruelty, but Zuko's, on the other hand, was laced purely with empathy and innocence and was as unthreatening as a baby mouse-lion cub. Where his family's eyes sought to pierce the soul, his only objective was to understand it.

She was frozen momentarily, mesmerized by his golden gaze, but she recuperated just as fast and continued to hold onto her secret. "How do you know?"

"I know you," he shrugged simply and nonchalantly, no weight being placed on his words. It was just a simple fact; he had observer her in the past and he fancied that he knew her, or at least knew her well enough to know that she didn't simply fall down when she was practicing her acrobatics.

Her eyes widened a little and then fell to the ground in simple defeat. There was no point in arguing with someone who wouldn't be argued with. "Azula was angry that I beat her at cartwheeling and she pushed me down and I fell on a stick," she finally admitted, silently praying that Azula wouldn't find out she told.

Zuko's golden eyes narrowed slightly and a small, empathetic frown appeared. He knew the feeling. He sat next to her on the sofa and, in a soft voice, asked, "does it hurt?"

Ty Lee nodded simply, "yeah, a little bit."

The prince's frown only deepened. "I'm sorry," he said with such sincerity that it astounded her. She wondered to Agni how he and Azula could be related by blood.

She dared to glance at him now, while he was still looking at her with genuine concern. She wondered how he could be so compassionate towards her after she teased him not but five minutes ago. He had started to resemble the room that surrounded them; cheerless and dull, and it made her feel immeasurably guilty for sharing her momentary unhappiness. Instead of apologizing though, she put on her peppiest face and laughed, "Hey, it's only a small cut. And at least it was only gymnastics. If it were firebending she would've probably had me banished."

Her attempt at cheering him up had worked; he snapped out of his gloomy state and even graced her with a small laugh.

His laugh was such a wonderfully rare, blithe laugh that it delighted Ty Lee to the point where she couldn't help but join in, and the two of them sat there for what seemed like the longest time, filling the once lifeless room with the magical sound of their laughter until a servant appeared in the doorway, bandages in hand and informing Zuko that his mother requested his presence to read a letter from his Uncle.

Zuko slid off the sofa and strode proudly out the door, evidently excited to hear news from the Dragon of the West, and leaving Ty Lee to the mercy of the servant. However a moment later he seemed to remember himself and appeared in the grand doorway once more. "See you later," he said, offering her a shy smile before disappearing again.

"Bye Zuko," she replied, although she knew she was out of earshot.

It was odd, Azula always made Zuko out to be some sort of social skills deficient mama's boy, but he was nothing of the sort. _Azula always lies_, she reminded herself.

As the sun started to set outside the window, and the palace servant went to work bandaging her leg, Ty Lee smiled to herself. She had just made a new friend.

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><p><em>AN: Hi everybody (: It's been a fair while since I've written anything. I guess you could say I just got the urge to write again. Not inspiration, unfortunately. Just an urge. Anyway I came up with the idea for this one after watching the EP, "The Beach." Ty Lee's comment was very suggestive and the show never went into any detail about their relationship, so I thought I'd give it a shot._

_Anyway, I hope you guys liked it so far. Please leave a review and if you have any comments or suggestions they would be greatly appreciated._

_This chapter's a bit short for my liking, but what are you gonna do? Hopefully I can make the coming ones longer. I should have a new chapter up by the end of this weekend if all goes well (:_

_Thanks for reading x_


	2. Kindness

_A/N: Before I start I would just like to thank everybody for their reviews. They really mean a lot guys, thank you._

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><p><strong>Kindness is proof of human decency.<strong> Kindness is one of the only things in this world that forces you to believe in others; it forces you to believe that there is good in the most unexpected places. We are born with kindness inside of us, and as we grow older the world beats and batters us in until we find it hard to show. Kindness is inside every single person in the world. Never forget that. There are many different acts of kindness: sympathy, empathy, consideration, understanding, patience, tolerance, delicacy, courtesy, hospitality, charity, and grace; however it is the random acts of kindness from strangers that is the most powerful in the world. Kindness is a gift.

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><p>The sun was high in the cloudless sky, basking the Fire Nation palace in its unrelenting heat. In the palace courtyard the subtle scent of apples and bark wafted through the air. As the young prince Zuko stepped out into the light he held up his arm to shade his eyes from the intensity of the sun's glow. As his eyes adjusted to the bright light, he strode out into the courtyard, confident as ever and readily taking advantage of the sun's intensity to practise his firebending.<p>

He, unlike his sister, was not a firebending prodigy. There was no doubt that he was good for his age, definitely, however Azula was simply better, and he had to keep practising if he had any chance of ever catching up to her and impressing their father.

He let out a long, disheartened sigh. His father, Prince Ozai. Sometimes Zuko felt like his father didn't love him anymore, or at least not as much as he did Azula. It had been a very long time since Zuko's presence made his father smile; in fact most of the time his presence was simply warranted with contempt, and the young boy was not completely ignorant of the fact. But surely his dad still loved him, right? He knew his mum did. With that thought, he shook his head and started to begin his practise. _I'll make my dad proud of me yet, _he thought determinedly.

Remembering his Uncle Iroh's training, Zuko took up a basic stance and focused heavily on his breathing. _In and out, in and out. _ He let sun's energy course through his body with every breath. On his next inhale he drew from his determination to please his father and created its embodiment in the form of a fireball, which he proceeded to punch through the air. It was a basic move, he knew, but he had executed it perfectly. Glowing with pride, he decided to try a move he had seen Azula doing once before. He had never been able to quite get it before but, with the sun being as strong as it was, he had a good feeling about today. He started off in the same fashion: focusing on his breathing. Then, when he was ready, he let his inner fire flow to his feet and jumped into the air, trying to recreate a roundhouse kick. Unfortunately, it didn't go over as well as he had hoped. Not only did his flame go out, it distracted him from the motion and he fell to the ground, thoroughly embarrassed.

But that wasn't the worst of it. As he rose from the ground and dusted himself off he heard a soft giggle coming from behind him. The young prince spun around to see Ty Lee sitting leisurely underneath the apple tree. He evidently hadn't noticed her presence when he began his training.

Zuko felt all his blood rush to his head. He, in concealing his humiliation, was utterly furious that she hadn't made her presence known earlier. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted, perhaps a bit too fervently.

The young girl looked completely taken aback. "I, uh," she murmured carefully, "I was just watching you practise."

"Did I give you permission to watch me?" he yelled back, feeling more humiliated than ever. Upon seeing her hurt expression and the beginnings of tears, though, his features softened and he regretted getting so upset with her. He sighed with frustration and went to go sit next to her. His uncle always said that his temper would be his downfall.

Ty Lee refused to meet his eyes, and he didn't quite know how to apologize. Instead he pulled out his latest treasure that his uncle had given him. He softly tapped the girl on the shoulder and offered it up for her to see. When she, once again, refused to acknowledge him, he started it talk, "it's a pearl-handled dagger. My uncle Iroh gave it to me yesterday after you left. It's from a general in Ba Sing Se."

This seemed to get the Ty Lee's attention and she finally lifted her head to see the dagger. Zuko noted, with relief, that there was no trace of tears or resentment in her features. As she observed the dagger the young prince let it slid into her hands, offering with it the smallest of smiles. She handled it tenderly, reading the inscription of the side. "Never give up without a fight," she mused to herself quietly. She raised her head to meet his gaze, "I like that."

Zuko nodded in agreement, "yeah, so do I."

"Ooh, what is going on here?" An unmistakable voice came from behind that made the two children freeze. "Tsk tsk, Ty Lee, treachery isn't becoming."

It was Zuko who was first to speak up, "oh, shut up Azula." What did she mean by treachery anyway? Beside him Ty Lee rose with lightning speed and took her place by Azula's side, a deep blush gracing her cheeks.

"Shouldn't you be practising your firebending, Zu Zu? Agni knows you need it," the princess retorted proudly and, before her brother could respond, she strode away with her head held high. Ty Lee trailed along obediently, not daring to say goodbye.

Zuko sighed heavily, completely deflated by the brief interaction. Only his sister could have such an effect on him. Too uninspired to get back up and resume his training, the young prince settled for lying back against the tall tree, taking in the warmth of the air.

What in the world did Azula mean by calling her friend a traitor?

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><p>"Ty Lee's trying to steal your boyfriend," Azula teased in a sing-song voice laced with unmistakable malice. Still trailing behind her, Ty Lee's face burned scarlet. Of course she wasn't trying to steal Zuko, they had only just started talking, but neither did she deny Azula's claim.<p>

On the other side of the room, Mai looked up at her unexpected guests with her usual level of discontentment. "What boyfriend?" she questioned in her most uninterested tone and flat expression. But neither Ty Lee nor Azula were fooled by her guise; they could see the small flicker of alarm behind it all.

"Why, Zuko of course. I found them practically kissing underneath the apple tree. It was quite romantic, really," Azula continued in her relentless tormenting, clearly unaffected by her friend's discomfort.

This time Ty Lee couldn't stay quite. "Azula!" she whined harshly before going over to sit near Mai. "We weren't doing anything," she explained as quickly as she could, before her friend could be anymore hurt, "I was just waiting for Azula so we could come over here and Zuko and I started talking, that's all." She offered up a small, apologetic smile to her friend before whispering, almost inaudibly, "Azula always lies."

Ty Lee's last comment was all the proof Mai needed, and she nodded in acceptance. "Not that I care," she added, still with the same dreary tone as before, only the hidden lace of urgency was gone.

After the scene in the courtyard, Ty Lee and Azula had made their way over to Mai's house, which was just across the road from the palace. Although it was nearly as lavish and extravagant, Ty Lee certainly preferred it to the life-consuming feel of the palace. Azula, however, did not. "We just came over to get you. Hurry up so we can go home," she demanded. However when neither of her friends moved she rolled her eyes, "well I'm going back. This place is far too small and I've got better things to be doing anyway. Like firebending." And with that she made her proud exit. Azula always loved to remind her friends that she could firebend and they could not.

When they heard the closing of the front door Mai turned to her friend, cheeks flustered and eyes bewildered. "So…um…what did you guys talk about?" she asked as disinterestedly as she possibly could, however it was blatantly obvious how much she cared.

It took Ty Lee a few seconds to realise her friend was talking about her and Zuko. "Oh," she started, a little confused by Mai's train of thought, "well, not much really. He showed me a dagger and then Azula found us."

"Oh…" her friend replied as well as she could, however her tone betrayed the feelings of longing and envy she tried to bury. Ty Lee had known of Mai's crush for a while now, and it was beginning to develop into something a bit deeper. She understood how her friend felt; completely invisible and frustrated because of it. Being a septuplet she sympathised with the amount of pain that came from being completely overlooked. At least Mai's feeling rooted from a boy, not her own parents.

"But you like pointy weapons too, don't you? I'll remember to mention that next time I see him." Ty Lee's small effort to cheer her friend up had worked. Mai's usually blank expression lit up instantly with hope and elation at the promise.

Giggling with glee, Ty Lee took the opportunity to catch Mai in an embrace, and the two girls sat for a few moments in simultaneous bliss.

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><p>It was late in the afternoon when Ty Lee returned to the palace. The midday sun had calmed itself and cast and orange hue over the Fire Nation. The young acrobat made her way to the courtyard in hopes of Zuko finding her again. The interaction with Mai had left her feeling like a traitor for not being more proactive in praising her friend to her crush. At the same time though there was a small part of her that wanted to keep Zuko for herself. The prince was the very first friend she'd ever had that she didn't have to share with anybody else, and she felt a small twang of resentment at the thought of him ignoring her for Mai. But, in the end, friendship came first, and Ty Lee decided it was for the greater good if she tried to make Zuko fall in love with her friend.<p>

This time it was Ty Lee who found Zuko. He was still sitting beneath the apple tree where she had left him. She made her way over happily and sat next to him, "fancy seeing you here."

No response.

Up until now, she really hadn't taken much notice of him, being as absorbed in her mission as she was. But now she took the time to study him closer; he was sitting with his pale arms wrapped around his legs, drawn up to his chin. His face was half-buried so that she couldn't see his mouth, and his brilliant golden eyes, swimming with shock and something that could only be described as pure sorrow, were set upon the ground, unable to register her presence.

This shook Ty Lee out of auto-pilot. Her features deepened with genuine concern; Zuko had never been a particularly happy child, but neither did he sit around moping all the time. And his aura. Usually Zuko's aura was a beautifully vivid blue-indigo colour laced with a grey overlay, an aura unlike any other in the world, but today it seemed much darker.

"Zuko," Ty Lee began, softly and gently, while placing a small hand on his shoulder for comfort, "what's wrong? What happened?"

Zuko seemed to flinch under her touch, but made no effort to remove himself from it. "My cousin Lu Ten was killed," he explained hoarsely, as if he hadn't said a word for hours.

"Oh," the young girl breathed, completely lost for words. She couldn't find the words to articulate what she was feeling. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was, that she understood what he was going through, but the reality was that she didn't. In her life she had never lost a loved one, and she couldn't even begin to fathom how it felt to. Above all she wanted to comfort him and let him know that he had a friend in her, but she hadn't the faintest idea as to how she could. So they sat there, in the Fire Palace courtyard, beneath the apple tree, in total silence.

Suddenly, an idea dawned on Ty Lee. "Tell me about him," she encouraged softly. In her mind she thought maybe, just maybe, talking about it would help.

Zuko didn't quite catch onto that though, and he simply looked at her in confusion. However, even though he didn't completely understand her motives, he began to give her a description of his passed cousin. "He was brave," he started, softly and remorsefully but with a sparkle of sheer admiration, "he wasn't scared of anything. He was an amazing firebender, but he was also a master with a sword. In fact, he probably won more battles with swords than fire." A ghost of a smile passed over Zuko's expression before he continued, "he was honourable, and intelligent, and like a brother to me." Talking about him had made Zuko feel briefly better, however he couldn't help thinking that, at the end of the day, Lu Ten hadn't died for a good cause. Perhaps that's why his uncle was coming home.

Thinking of that had reminded the young prince of what else had happened, and his features visibly darkened. "Azula doesn't care," he added bitterly, the resentment for his sister seeping through his tone. "Lu Ten was always so kind to her, he was so kind to everybody, and she doesn't care at all. And she's talking as if she doesn't want Uncle to come back either. All she wants is for dad to become Fire Lord." His sister's ruthlessness never ceased to disgust him, and he snorted indignantly, cause smoke to rise from his nostrils.

The smoke gave Ty Lee, who had been sitting in complete silence listening, another idea of how to cheer him up. "You know what," she began, trying to distract him from thoughts of Azula, "I bet I could teach you some gymnastics that could help your firebending."

Once again, her plan had worked. The young prince's head snapped up to meet her smiling features. This could be his chance to upstage Azula. He nodded eagerly and watched as his companion rose elegantly and took position in front of him. He followed her obediently and waited for further instruction.

The young acrobat got to work quickly, sliding down to the ground effortlessly with her legs spread wide apart. "This," she stated, "is a straddle split. It would be useful for dodging attacks quickly."

Zuko, however, didn't look as sure as a bead of sweat dripped down his pale face. "Uh, maybe we could start with something less…painful."

Ty Lee giggled playfully. "Fair enough. This," she explained as she demonstrated the next move, "is a handstand. Very basic. All you have to do is walk on your hands instead of your feet."

Zuko, sensing this move put him in much less danger, did as she instructed. He was able to do a handstand and hold his form, but not for very long before he came crashing down. Ty Lee re-positioned herself right-way up gracefully before bursting out into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

Although the young prince was thoroughly embarrassed, he managed to let go of his anger and join in her laughter. He could see how she would find in funny, but that was enough of the gymnastics lessons, and they both took a seat underneath their apple tree once more. Settling down, Ty Lee suddenly remembered her original reason for seeking him out. "You know," she began, watching him as he watched the sparkling fountain, "Mai really likes you."

The young prince choked on his own saliva while his pale skin turned a vivid scarlet. "Mai?" he asked with a dumbfounded expression, "really?"

Ty Lee giggled and nodded as Zuko mulled over the thought in his head and a small smile appeared on his lips. _A job well done, _she thought to herself. The young girl sprung up gracefully, taking that as her cue to leave. "I've got to be going. My parents will be worried if I don't get back soon," she lied. Her parents wouldn't even notice.

As she turned to leave she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She spun around and brown eyes met golden ones in an intense gaze. "Ty Lee," Zuko started, obviously embarrassed, "I just want to, you know, um, thank you. You know, for listening to me. And stuff."

Ty Lee smiled back sweetly, her eyes softening under his appreciative gaze, "that's what friends do."

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><p><em>AN: Well there goes another chapter. I hope you guys liked it. I realise that it may be a little boring, what with nothing happening. But I promise I'll add a little more fluff in when I can. It's just a little hard, with me being an avid Zutarian, to write good fluff with other ships._

_I'm at war with myself on how I should go with this fic. Ty Luko really doesn't seem like a legitimate pairing, given their personalities, however at the same time I can't stand Mai :P But anyway, we'll see._

_Please leave a review if you can; I love to hear your opinions, even if their critical._

_I should have a new chapter up by Friday._

_Thanks for reading x_


	3. Comfort

_A/N: Once again, a big thank you to everybody who reviewed, and to those who didn't but still favourite'd the story (:_

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><p><strong>The act of comforting is crucial. <strong>If you've ever been comforted in a time of great loss, or just a time of great sadness, you know just how invaluable it is to feel like, through it all, somebody, even if it's just one person, still cares. Comfort is another one of those special gifts that humans are able to give to each other. It is an acquired skill, however, and although someone may want to help, it may very well be that they just don't know how. But, if you get it right, it can make all the difference in the world. Comfort is crucial.

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><p>Zuko had never had a friend before.<p>

As a prince of the Fire Nation he was rarely allowed to leave the palace, and if he did he was never unescorted. And he, unlike his sister, had been subject to private tutoring rather than having the luxury of attending an actual school.

Even if he had, Zuko could never be described as the most sociable person in the world. He was empathetic, yes, and beyond altruistic, and it was not as if he was timid or shy of any sort, however for some reason he could never connect with others.

One might deduce that it had most to do with his upbringing. Dysfunctional family aside, Zuko was royalty, and brought up to live as such. He had grown arrogant and a little self-absorbed. He was domineering and saw most others as inferior to himself. None of these traits were his fault, of course, but he still had them.

Then, of course, there was said dysfunctional family; one contemptuous father, one cruelly malicious sister, and one stand-alone, loving mother. You can only imagine the amount of metal scarring that the first two had left. Zuko's father was an unrelenting man who did not attempt to disguise the disappointment he felt in his first born. Every time the two made contact the young prince could see the look in his father's piercing eyes, simply questioning his own existence. Then there was Azula, the polar opposite sibling. She was the cold-blooded killer, born without empathy or conscience, whose cruelty threatened to rub off on him.

And then there was that little voice inside young Zuko's head that screamed, "You don't belong here." He loved his country, he truly did. He would die for it if necessary. And he, who burned feverishly with passion, was born to be a firebender. But somehow he got the feeling deep down in his stomach that he didn't belong. He had felt that way most of his life, except around two people; his uncle Iroh and his mother.

Uncle Iroh had always had a deep tenderness that the rest of that side of the royal family did not possess. Even though he, The Dragon of the West, was one of the most successful war generals of the Fire Nation, he seemed to have a deeper sense of right and wrong. Furthermore, he loved Zuko, and not in the trivial way the rest of his family 'loved' him, but in the proper way. In the way where he would love Zuko no matter what. And Iroh, despite being the Crown Prince to the Fire Nation throne, despite being the revered war general, despite being the Dragon of the East, still had the same, uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach that had developed when he was a little boy; the same feeling that his nephew had.

Then there was Ursa. She was the warm, bright, burning sun of Zuko's universe, the center of it. When she was around the young prince believed that there could be good found in the world, in people. She raised him to be a better person. She was gentle, kind, loving, brave and strong, and she taught him to be too. Most, if not all, of Zuko's admirable traits could be traced back to her mothering. And she loved him just as much as he loved her. Of course she loved Azula too, but Zuko would always be hers. In him she saw all the goodness in the world, and the potential to change it. If any one person ever loved another forever, Ursa would do as much for Zuko.

And that was Zuko's entire world. He was luckier than most; he did have people in his life who genuinely loved him. However he had never had an actual friend. He never had a person who completely understood him, who he could talk to, whose presence simply made him happier.

Then along came Ty Lee.

* * *

><p>"Okay, well," Ty Lee explained as she casually wandered around the palace courtyard on her hands, a devilish grin playing on her upside-down lips, "she already likes you, so you really don't have to <em>do <em>that much."

It had been two days since she had told the Fire Nation prince that her best friend had a crush on him, and he finally gathered up the courage to ask her what to do about it. He had approached her that morning under their apple tree and asked, cheeks burning and voice shaking, what he should do.

Such an adorable sight couldn't be refused.

A young Zuko sat rigidly cross-legged with hands on his knees, trying in vain to mask his utter embarrassment. It was early in the morning and although it wasn't raining, the sky was covered by the ominous black of summer storm clouds threatening to drown them at any given moment. The rich scent of rain lingered in the air; enough to make any firebend sick to the stomach.

Zuko kind of enjoyed the smell.

He could feel his temper rising by the second, stemming from his complete humiliation at the situation. He had thought long and hard about Mai, the way she felt about him, the way he felt about her. Truth be told, he didn't really know her at all. He knew that she was the daughter of a nobleman, like Ty Lee, and that she was always reserved. And that she was pretty. But every time he thought about her he could feel the blood pool to his ears. He didn't know anything much about girls, or dating, or love, but he figured that if he had that reaction he must've liked her on at least some level, right?

"But what," he asked, trying to restrain his temper, knowing Ty Lee didn't deserve the brunt of it, "do I say to her?"

His friend let her feet bend over her head and land on the ground gracefully, pondering his question, "I don't know, I've never really thought about it. Be, I don't know, aloof I guess? Some girls like that."

"Aloof?"

"Yeah, aloof. You know, don't show too much emotion, count to three before replying to her, three words max. That sort of thing."

_Three words max. _"And that really works?"

Ty Lee flopped down in front of the young prince, beaming, "yeah, sure. Why not?"

Zuko merely rolled his eyes. He could tell when Ty Lee was off in her own little world and when she was just stringing words together that had little meaning behind them. "Come on Ty Lee, you're her best friend, you must know something."

The young girl in pink sighed in mock frustration. "Well I _suppose _I could lend you some of my wisdom," she winked. "The thing with is, Mai doesn't like to show her true feelings, so if all you get it a blank expression, don't be discouraged. And don't be over-zealous," she added, before noticing his vacant features and giggling, "I guess that won't be a problem. You two have more in common than I thought."

Zuko nodded thankfully, making a mental note of everything she had said. He wasn't feeling very confident about the whole scenario. In fact he wasn't sure if he even wanted a girlfriend, but he felt as though he owed it to himself. And to Mai.

His thoughts were interrupted by the menacing boom of thunder that rolled across the land. He could see Ty Lee visibly tensing in front of him. He knew that she wasn't especially afraid of storms, but he still felt a small pang of concern for his friend. "You probably have to go now, don't you? Your parents will want you home before the storm hits."

"I don't think it will storm; I can usually feel them coming," she said, but not before Zuko had noticed her eyes averting from his." Her voice kept its usual cheeriness, but the young prince was smarter than to let that fool him. He placed his hand softly on her knee, trying to re-capture her gentle gaze to figure out what was wrong.

Brown eyes met golden ones as she tried to match his gaze, still retaining her never-ending smile, but she faltered quickly enough; she had never been one for confrontations. She sighed in defeat and turned her head to avoid his eyes burning through her. "My parents wouldn't even notice."

As he was still processing what she said, Ty Lee jumped to her feet gracefully and turned to leave. However the young prince was just as fast as she was, and before she could even take a step he had secured her by the wrist, determined not to let her go. Her skin was so smooth underneath his, and Zuko was momentarily distracted by the feel of it.

"I'm a septuplet."

Zuko froze. He hadn't seen that one coming.

Ty Lee sighed once more and broke free of his hold. Her ever-present smile had vanished and her big brown eyes were looking anywhere but at his. "I'm just one part of a matching set," she elaborated, cheeks burning from embarrassment; she didn't want to complain to him.

She had left it there, but Zuko could hear the real meaning behind her words. Her parents didn't care. He felt a pang of sympathy and sorrow. He knew exactly how it felt to have a parent that couldn't care less, but he knew he could never completely understand how it felt to feel like you had no identity. It was a strange feeling he had in the pit of his stomach; a strong urge to soothe his friend somehow.

He hadn't known Ty Lee for very long, but he hated seeing her without her smile. It made the world seem like a darker place. It was as if her smile was the only thing that illuminated the happiness. "I don't believe that," he said softly and sincerely. In reply to her confused eyes he added, "There's no way there could be another person like you."

And with that, her smile, as dazzling as ever, returned.

"I'm going over to get Mai. Don't move."

He didn't. Zuko immediately turned to stone, his body rigid and what little colour he had drained from his features. She was going to do what? His stomach dropped. He wasn't ready. More than that, he wasn't sure if he was ever going to be ready. He could feel the little voice in the back of his head telling him that somehow something wasn't right about it.

He sighed, defeated, and sat on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard. There wasn't much he could do about it now, was there? And so he waited quietly, trying to understand why he felt the way he did.

The more he thought about it, the more he came to the conclusion that he sort of liked Mai. Yes, she was the most reserved being on the face of the planet, but, truth be told, he admired that in her. He liked the peacefulness that surrounded her, and he respected the way she was not afraid to tell Azula how she felt.

And then it struck him: she was the complete opposite of Ty Lee.

Ty Lee was outgoing and enthusiastic, the direct contrast of Mai's constant torpor. They were both friends to his domineering sister, however where one chose to follow Azula's instructions the other ignored them.

Zuko's mind, following that train of thought, then began to think of the other friend. His friend. Musing about Mai's personality had caused him to reflect on Ty Lee's. How was it that he became such good friend with her? She was bubbly and excitable which were traits that usually would've sent Zuko running for the hills. She was superficial; the type of girl he would usually resent. But there was something about Ty Lee that he had come to like.

Zuko was snapped back into reality as he noticed a slender figure enter the courtyard. He looked up and was surprised to find Mai hovering by one of the entrances. Why was it that he had automatically assumed that it was Ty Lee? And, more importantly, why was he disappointed that it wasn't? That feeling soon passed however and was quickly replaced by an intense nervousness.

As the young girl came closer he could feel the blood pooling to his ears, his palms sweating and his heart beating at an unusually high speed. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He mentally curses Ty Lee for putting him in this situation. She stood in front of him with a slightly pink but otherwise emotionless face. He rose quickly and awkwardly, praying that she didn't notice his sweating as much as he did.

_Be aloof, _Ty Lee's voice rang in his ears. _Three words max._

"Hey."

_Nailed it._

"Hey," she replied softly. Was that a quiver in her voice that he detected?

Then came the awkward silence. Zuko hadn't even considered what to do past that point, and the two of them simply stood there, in the middle of the palace courtyard, looking at their own feet.

"Well," Mai began slowly, "I better go find Azula."

Zuko began to panic and, before she could leave, he had grabbed her wrist, the same way he had done to Ty Lee before. Mai, however, did not take too kindly to being touched, and she defiantly pulled free off his grip, storming towards the palace after shooting him with a cold glare.

The young prince mentally cursed himself for being so stupid. "Wait," she shouted after her, desperate not to let the situation control him. She stopped as he had asked, but once again he didn't think his actions through and didn't know what to say. After a few moments of silence Mai gave up and continued towards the palace.

Zuko felt his temper rising. He was beyond angry at himself and, without another thought he shouted out to her, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

He froze in shock. What had he just done? He felt the colour drain from his face as he stood there, completely still and stomach churning.

However before he even had time to berate himself mentally he saw Mai's head turn towards him, cheeks flushed. The young prince felt his heart stop completely as the young girl nodded ever so slightly before continuing on her path to the palace.

Watching her walk away, Zuko couldn't help but smile stupidly to himself.

* * *

><p>"Will you be my girlfriend?"<p>

The young boy's words still rang in Ty Lee's ears as she lay awake in her bed the following morning.

Yesterday she had concealed herself behind the large apple tree in the palace courtyard, listening intently to her friends' conversation. But when the reality finally hit her that they would actually be dating, there was no denying the twinge of pain she felt.

She tried to convince herself that the feeling she had was of irrepressible pride for Zuko's bravery; however in her heart she knew that was a lie. The truth was that hearing him say those words to Mai had hurt her more than he had expected.

It was an odd emotion, caught somewhere between jealously, inadequacy and loneliness. But she swallowed it and convinced herself that it was just her mind playing tricks on her. She didn't like Zuko; she couldn't. It was merely her desire for him to like her for the sake of having somebody, anybody, like her.

Yes, that was it.

Nonetheless, sleep had never found her that night and she was utterly exhausted. As she unwilling rose from her soft cocoon of sheets she heard a soft knock at her door and her mother entered with a worried look on her face.

Ty Lee froze. Something was very wrong; her mother never sought her out individually.

Her mother entered silently, sitting down on the bed beside her daughter, face grave and completely lost for words. She was tired, Ty Lee observed. Well, she was always tired, but today she looked even more so.

"Last night Fire Lord Azulon passed away," she told her daughter.

Ty Lee let out an involuntarily sigh. Thank Agni, she thought something much worse had happened. She could see how her mother, fiercely loyal to the Fire Nation, would take the news to heart. But then her mind clicked into place.

Zuko had lost his grandfather.

All of a sudden the young girl felt the same rush of sadness that her mother did. Secretly she wondered if that was what her mother was really trying to tell her. In any case, she had to go see Zuko. Mai might've been his girlfriend, but she wasn't prepared for that.

Ty Lee left the room in silence, nodding politely to her mother who followed her daughter with a concerned gaze.

As she traveled to the Fire Nation palace, Ty Lee could feel her stomach slowing growing more uneasy and the tightness in her throat closing in. Why was it that she felt the immediate need to see Zuko? To help him? To comfort him? She could only imagine how he was feeling, especially seeing his grandfather seemed to be in such good health.

She wondered what this meant now for his family. Azula had told her once that her father, Prince Ozai, should become Fire Lord, however Prince Iroh was still fit to run the country, despite his defeat at Ba Sing Se.

Inside the decadent palace, Ty Lee began to search for Zuko, failing to find him in their usually spot. It occurred to her that, although Azula had been her friend for years now, she had never once been into her room. She hadn't the faintest idea to where Zuko's might be.

The palace, bitter as ever, was elaborately furnished in every shade of red and gold and was titanic in size. The entire palace also smelled distinctly of various spices; a change from the pleasant scent of charcoal and smoke that always surrounded Zuko that never ceased to make her feel a little warmer.

It was her luckily day, however, as she ran into a palace servant who was able to, most hesitantly, point her in the direction of the young prince's room.

She bounded along the corridor that led to the prince's room, feeling more nervous with each step she took. She had no idea what she was supposed to say when she finally found her friend.

He hesitated upon finding Zuko's room at the end of the corridor with a golden door that stood out brightly against the crimson walls. She drew in a long breath. It wasn't going to be easy, but she had to do it. For him. Plucking up what little courage she had, Ty Lee knocked on the door softly.

No answer.

She nervously brought her fist up to the bright door and tried again, to no avail.

But Ty Lee wouldn't be so easy fooled. She could feel the energy coming from within and, quite bravely, she opened the door, inch by inch. She didn't care if he wanted to be alone; she needed to see that he was okay.

Poking in her head ever so slightly, finding the young prince sitting on his bed, staring out of the window, expression completely blank. She inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar scent of Zuko the resided in his room, and she marveled at how his room was the only one in the palace that didn't drain the life out of anyone who entered it. Cautiously she approached him. If he noticed her at all, he didn't show it. She sat beside him carefully and, taking in a long breath, said, "If you want to talk, I'm here."

It was a painfully long time before Zuko responded. Without looking at her he ask with a cracked voice, "What do you know?"

The question baffled Ty Lee at first; surely his grandfather's death wasn't a secret? But she decided it was better not to ask his to elaborate, so she simply answered, "Fire Lord Azulon died last night. That's why you're so upset, right?"

To her surprise the boy next to her shook his head slowly, a single tear breaking away from his golden eyes and sliding slowly down his cheek. It was a heartbreaking sight. And then it got worse. He paused, trying to find his strength, and then answered in a broken voice, "She's gone." His voice cracked on the last syllable. He fought to control his breathing and Ty Lee grew ever more confused until he ended, "My mother is gone."

Ty Lee inhaled sharply, going cold. She hadn't expected that. She watched in pain as her friend tried to keep himself under control. She felt as though her heart had been ripped out of her chest; she couldn't stand to see him in so much agony, and she wished with all her heart that she could've done something to make him feel better. But there was nothing. She couldn't find the words.

There were no words.

And that was how it came to be that the Crown Prince and his best friend sat in absolute silence for hours; him simply needing her and her needing simply him.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry about the late update. Had a shit of a week :P _

_Firstly I would like to sincerely apologize to any Maiko fans reading this. I'm truly sorry; I know I haven't even come close to capturing her and Zuko's relationship. To be honest, I don't understand it in the slightest. God knows why. Maybe it's because the show cut out most of their romance? I kind of thrive on that stuff :s But, yeah, I'm sorry if I've offended your beliefs ;) _

_I hope you guys kind of understood what I meant in the last line :P_

_Once again I beg of you to review :P I honestly love to hear what you think._

_I should have a new chapter up by the ended of the week. Hope fully ;)_

_Thanks for reading x_


	4. Honour

_A/N: Thank you again for your lovely reviews. They mean a lot (: Sorry about the awfully long update._

* * *

><p><strong>A person dishonoured is worse than dead. <strong>Nobody explains honour better than Zuko himself; "It's something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what's right." Act well your part; there all honour lies. What makes it such an important thing is that, while reputation is what other people know about you, honour is what you know about yourself. While it may be agony to have others think the worst about you, if you have to live with yourself with the shame of your own dishonour, it would be better to not live at all. Honour is like an island, rugged and without shores; once you have left it you can never return. Follow your heart and do what you believe is right; honour it the reward of virtue. Never lose your honour.

* * *

><p>Flames danced wildly around the pale prince clad in red and the heat in the courtyard rose to an unbearably intense temperature. As if the midday summer sun wasn't enough to bear.<p>

However, it was prime firebending training time and Zuko wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. He released his hold on the flames, failing his move for the third time in a row. His rising temper could've put the weather to shame.

His uncle Iroh stood across from him, the ever-lasting patience on his face holding through as he repeated his instructions. "One more time, but focus more on your breathing," he instructed.

Zuko's face went red with rage, "I AM breathing uncle!" he roared, releasing his sheer frustration at his own failure.

A familiar giggle came from behind the prince, charmingly mocking him and ever so slightly berating him for his inability to control his temper. His eye narrowed as he whirled around, only becoming more furious, "and you can just shut up. You can't even firebend!"

The young woman's eyes narrowed as sharply as his had, and she childishly stuck out her tongue before turning her head to the side and raising it high in the air with an audible, "humph".

Despite himself, Zuko cracked a smile. He could never really stay mad at Ty Lee; when he got mad, so did she, and she was too cute at it.

He turned back to his uncle, who had begun to walk towards the palace. "Hey, where are you going?" he yelled after him.

"I think we've had enough practise for one day, Prince Zuko," Iroh replied cheerfully.

"But I'll never catch up too Azula at this rate!" he shouted back, but the famed ex-general was already out of sight. He sighed in frustration and turned back to his friend, however she had also vanished. He looked around in confusion before he finally spotted her, hanging upside down from her legs in the apple tree, beaming at him. He gave her a tired expression, "get down from there."

She returned his expression and said in a flat tone, "fine." She swung herself to and fro from the branch a few times, gathering momentum, before she released her legs from the branch, somersaulted once in the air and landed perfectly on the ground, inches away from Zuko's face. She smirked smugly at the prince's obvious irritation. "Show off…" he muttered underneath his breath.

With the blazing heat and Ty Lee's company he felt oddly comfortable, and nostalgic. "So," she started as she made her way to sit beneath the old apple tree, "what are you going to do about tomorrow?"

"I…don't know yet," he admitted regretfully. He knew he should have had something planned already; however it always seemed to slip his mind in the past week.

She looked at him harshly, "Zuko, it's your two year anniversary. Even if she'd never admit it, Mai is definitely expecting something."

As he settled down beside his friend he took a moment to study her. Over the years her doe-like, chocolate eyes began to dim to what seemed to be a dull shade of grey. They still held onto a little of their original colour, and the same childish innocence and effervescent spirit that they once did; they were just lacking the complete warmth they had once held. Zuko wasn't sure why that was. He couldn't bring himself to actually ask Ty Lee if something was wrong, but neither could he have any way of telling. She would never give him a reason to think she was anything other than utterly cheerful all of the time; no slip of an eye, or falter of a smile. Nothing. All he could ever notice was the colour slowly draining from her eyes. If anybody had asked him what he thought the reason way, he would've chalked it up to her home life; the constant disregard for her being that she got there would've been enough to break even the strongest of spirits. But in his heart of hearts he knew it was not that. Ty Lee's spirit was stronger than the strongest of spirits. He knew that she was hurt by her family, but she had come to accept it with a grace that only she could muster. No, deep in his heart Zuko suspected it was Azula's doing. His sister and Ty Lee had remained best friends for the longest of times, and he suspected that she was slowly draining the life out of his most cherished friend, although you'd never be able to tell it by looking at her. If they continued down that road Ty Lee would lose the last fragment of brown that she had managed to retained, and her eyes would become completely grey. And after that, the spirit behind them would also cease to exist. Zuko sighed to himself. There was nothing he would do about it either; it wasn't as if he was going to tell Ty Lee who she could or could not be friends with. That was her decision. The problem was though, Ty Lee was completely unqualified to make that decision; she was too loving and loyal to know what was good for her.

All he wanted to do was protect her, however he could.

He began to think deeper of her question; what was he going to do for his girlfriend?

His relationship with Mai had been growing steadily stronger over the past two years. He had, to his own perpetual surprise, grown extremely fond of her. And he had only recently begun to realise the powerful link the two of them shared. He had begun to believe that they were supposed to end up together; one of those couple that, although they lack the great romance that authors write about, transcend time. They, together, were nothing special. They were not Oma and Shu. But they were them; the cliché couple. And Zuko was content with that.

He returned his thoughts to his best friend, resting beside him in a rare moment of tranquillity. Her eyes were closed and he took the opportunity to re-familiarize himself with her features. Her long, black lashes softly caressed the tips of her flawless cheeks, and he took in her strong scent of fire lilies. He loved that smell; it was comforting and safe. Those fire lilies had been present in the worst moments of his life, and they had remained there to pull him through. His link to Ty Lee was another he'd only recently become aware of, however it was one completely different from Mai's. With Ty Lee he felt more comfortable than anywhere else in the world and he was able to draw energy from simply being in her presence. With her he felt as though he could say absolutely anything that was on his, even if she didn't necessarily think the same thing. He could completely be himself around her without fear of judgment or resentment. And she had _always _been there for him.

It had been two years since his mother had vanished and, as hard as it had been, Zuko had come to accept the fact that she wasn't going to return. It still pained him to the core when he thought about it. A wild beast clawing incessantly at his heart until it bled crimson. For months he had hoped, prayed and pleaded to Agni for her return, but in his heart he knew his mother, with her fierce love for her homeland, would never leave willingly, and quietly, albeit painfully, had accepted that she was gone.

She had left a void in his heart that could never be filled, however Ty Lee came close. She had replaced Ursa as his confidant and, although the two were polar opposites in most senses, she reminded Zuko of his mother. This was something that was serenely comforting to him, and being in her presence was a treasure to him; it helped him feel close to the lost princess.

Zuko rested his head against the tree and, like his friend, closed his eyes, absorbing the intense heat and letting it flow through his body. He listened to Ty Lee's soft humming beside him. She was singing an ancient Fire Nation lullaby about a beautiful enchantress who saved the love of her life from an inevitable death at the cost of her celestial beauty, only for him to forsake her as she became plain and, in her grief, she took her own life. It was a tragic story, and a hauntingly beautiful song. Zuko inhaled deeply and listened peacefully as Ty Lee's humming began to form into words. "Her salt tears fell from her, and softened the stones," she sung in a serenely low, soft pitch.

_Let nobody blame him, his scorn I approve. _ That line of the lullaby had always mystified Zuko; how could the enchantress possibly still love the man after what he had done? Surely even eternal love was not _that_ unconditional.

Ty Lee's singing grew softer and softer until she stopped completely, evidently too tired to continue. It was a habit she had progressively developed, to sing, or hum, in the presence of silence between them. Usually this would've annoyed Zuko to know end, except Ty Lee knew such beautiful songs, and she really did sing wonderfully.

Most would never suspect Ty Lee of singing melancholy songs, however Zuko knew that the act of singing itself was a testimony to her everlasting cheerful demeanour; it did not matter the song she was singing, the action itself simply made her happy.

Taking one last deep breath, Zuko slowly rose from his resting spot under the tree. When he met with Ty Lee's questioning gaze he explained, "I have to go plan something for Mai. It is our anniversary after all." He smiled to himself and returned to the palace, leaving Ty Lee under their tree to wait for his sister.

As he left he could swear he heard Ty Lee's voice sing to herself the heartbreaking lullaby. _The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree. Sing willow, willow, willow …_

* * *

><p>Ty Lee stood in silence with her heart thumping against her chest, watching her two best friends. Zuko, in the end, had opted for a romantic picnic for himself and Mai's anniversary, and the two sat lovingly on a cliff near the Fire Palace overlooking the water. Ty Lee hadn't meant to come across them; she had kind of just wandered there aimlessly. However now she couldn't bring herself to look away.<p>

She was happy for Mai, she really was. It had been the longest time since she had seen her friend show as much emotion as she did when she was around the prince. And Ty Lee got the sickening feeling deep in her stomach that told her Mai was starting to fall in love with him. Not that she blamed Mai for that. And not that she would be upset if Mai did. Or so she told herself. She convinced herself that the small but pervasive twinge of pain she felt every time she thought about the two over them was just superficial adolescence envy; she was just jealous of Mai getting male attention. Or, if she was feeling particularly wounded, she would say that she resented the fact that Zuko, her best friend, enjoyed Mai's company over her own. And she wasn't going to lie; that really did hurt. Sure, she had Mai and Azula, but she felt like Zuko was the first person to actually care about her; the first person who, when she looked is his golden eyes, held a genuine concern for her.

Immersed in her thoughts, Ty Lee hadn't noticed the voices of her friends growing louder and louder; however Zuko's enraged yelling soon roused her from her musings. She alerted herself like a meerkat ferret and turned her attention to the couple, who were both on their feet in a heated argument.

"_Well I didn't want to do anything anyway! If I didn't you would've been bitching about it for a month!" _Those were the last words she managed to catch from Zuko before Mai stormed past her hiding spot, leaving Zuko alone on the cliff.

Ty Lee froze. What in Agni's name had just happened? She watched intently as the Fire Nation prince ran his hand through his hair in frustration and slumped down to the ground, head in hand.

More than anything the young Ty Lee wished to hasten to her friend and comfort him; however the greater half of her judgment told her that it probably wasn't the best idea. She didn't want him to know she was there, lest he thought she'd begun to follow him, and she also believe that this might've been one of those times where he needed to recuperate by himself.

Even though they were few times when she was needed, Ty Lee always tried to make herself available to her friend for moral support. If the disaster was big enough, Zuko had neither the desire nor energy to shoo her away, and he did appreciate her silent understanding. However more often than not he would simply get irate at her for pressuring him to talk about it. She felt as those this was one of those times.

"You can come out now," Zuko said in his course voice.

Ty Lee stiffened in shock momentarily before making her way to where the prince sat. "How did you…" she began to question, but decided it wasn't important and trailed off. Taking her place beside him, she offered a small smile in consolation, however it was not returned. "What happened?"

The young man huffed indignantly, eyes fixated on the ocean, "she was being difficult." After what seemed to be an instant contemplation, his fury redirected to Ty Lee. "Why do you all have to be so damn difficult? Is it so hard to just be normal?" he yelled in frustration, but, upon seeing Ty Lee's injured expression, evidently regretted it.

He sighed exasperatedly. "I'm sorry, it's just…" he paused still absorbed by the sun's reflection of the sea, "I really wanted her to like it."

"You need to apologize," she stated matter-of-factly, following his gaze out to the ocean.

"Me?" he roared incredulously, temper flaring wildly. "Why should _I _have to apologize? I haven't done anything wrong!"

Ty Lee winced at his anger, but persevered, "I know you don't think you've done anything wrong-"

"I HAVEN'T done anything wrong!" he cut in.

The young girl's eye twitched in annoyance, "that's not the important part Zuko! You're sorry that you guys are fighting. So apologize."

Zuko held his tongue, knowing that, on some level, she was right. "Fine," he mumbled, "after the war meeting tomorrow."

War meeting? Ty Lee's slight frown deepened; there was something that she didn't like about Zuko strategizing the death of others. It wasn't him. "Why would you want to go to a war meeting?" she probed.

Zuko's eyes never left the water, "I'm going to rule this country one day and I need know as much as I can before that day comes. I want to be a good leader, to make the Fire Nation greater than it already is. I owe it to my people."

Ty Lee's heart swelled and she inhaled sharply; only Zuko could find the honour in a war meeting. Her eyes followed his gaze to the magnificent Fire Nation sunset over the vast ocean.

"It's so…orange," she mused happily and, after a short pause, her face broke out in a glorious beam, which she directed at Zuko. The prince chuckled softly before rising to his feet. "Come on," he said, offering his hand to help her up, "let's head back to the palace." Although she was more than capable of getting up herself, she took his hand eagerly. "I'll even let you show off on the way there," he added in an uncommonly playful tone. Ty Lee laughed her musically laugh and the two of them turned their backs to the sunset.

* * *

><p>"What?" Ty Lee went cold.<p>

Azula had to have been mistaken.

But she didn't correct herself, she simply smirked. "Try to keep up Ty Lee," she said in her condescending tone, "today in the war meeting Zuko spoke out of turn. Now there is going to be an Agni Kai."

Terror gripped in the young gymnast's heart; Zuko, a young boy of 13, who, even by measure of his own age group, was not a great firebender, was to dual a war general with fifty-odd years of experience. The thought made Ty Lee sick to the stomach with anxiety. But, being under the ever-vigilant gaze of Azula, she composed herself. "Does," she began to ask, struggling to control her quivering voice, "does Mai know?"

"Do I know what?" a monotone voice came from behind them.

Azula had found Ty Lee waiting patiently in the palace courtyard for a prince that never came, and, believing that the girl with the braid was waiting for her, decided to share some fascinating news that had just taken place.

An uncomfortable silence amounted between the three; Mai waiting for an answer and Ty Lee not being able to articulate it, all the while Azula enjoying the scene.

Ty Lee looked back at the princess for assistance, but when none came she inhaled deeply and began to explain the situation to Mai.

That was the first time she had ever seen Mai cry.

Never before had Ty Lee, or Azula for that matter, seen her friend show so much emotion. However as Ty Lee told her the story the two could see the evident horror slowly creeping into her features, and her eyes brimming with tears that threatened to fall. Ty lee knew exactly what she was feeling.

The tears fell from her face silently, and she did not make a sound for what seemed to be the longest time. The young gymnast felt for her friend; however she was incapable of overcoming her own fear of the situation enough to console her.

Although she wished to believe in him, Ty Lee recognised that there was no way for Zuko to win this dual; he was too young, too unexperienced. He was passionate, to be sure, however that wasn't going to be enough to win this fight. All she could do was pray from the bottom of her heart that he didn't get injured severely.

However as much as the whole scenario made her sick with worry, she could help but be proud of her friend; only he would dare speak out in the Fire Lord's war room for the sake of his countrymen. And he was accepting the consequences of his actions and seeing it through to the end. But that was Zuko to the tee; he would never give up without a fight. He was so honourable that, even after years of friendship, she was still a little awestruck by it.

"When is it going to happen?" Mai finally asked in a grave voice. Ty Lee turned to Azula in curiosity.

"In about an hour, so I'm going now to get a good spot." And with that the young princess walked off haughtily, leave Ty Lee and Mai in their misery.

"Are you gonna go?" Ty Lee asked.

Mai nodded grimly. "I've got to. I need to be there for him. We," she shifted her weight and averted her eyes in guilt, "we had a fight yesterday. He needs to know that I'm not mad anymore."

Ty Lee nodded quietly in acceptance. She admired Mai for her bravery. But she wasn't going to go. Unlike Mai, she had no real reason to be there and, quite honestly, she didn't think she could stomach the sight.

All she could do was pray.

* * *

><p>Zuko packed his things in deafening silence.<p>

His uncle was waiting outside his room for him, and they were to board a ship of the Fire Nation navy and head to the Western Air Temple. The Avatar had eluded the Fire Nation for over a 100 years, it didn't seem likely that he would just appear in the most obvious place. But Zuko had to start somewhere. He had to capture the Avatar. I had to regain his honour.

Thoughts were racing through his head faster than he ever thought possible, and they seared him as badly as his eye did. He couldn't shake the memories, the way his stomach had fallen to the floor and his father came into view, the way his hot, pleading tears had stung as they fell as he begged for mercy. The way his heart stopped beating when he was told that he had to leave his home.

_Banishment._

Banishment. Be merciful and say 'death'; exile has more terror in its look.

Everything he did was for the Fire Nation, his home. He loved his country more than himself, and there was no world outside of it. To be banished from his Nation is like being banished from the world, and being banished from the world is death.

He, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, the crown prince, was now a pariah of his own people.

He was leaving behind his life. He had gone to see Mai before he left. Neither of them could speak. He didn't know how she found out about his banishment, be she knew, and they embraced for the last time. He was going to miss her. And then she left, but knew Mai well enough to know that she was simply trying to hide her feelings. He did not know when he would see Mai again. _If _he would see her again.

And Ty Lee.

Her name sent an acute pain through his centre; she had not been at the Agni Kai today. He had stood and scanned the crowd for her; needing to borrow her strength. But she never showed. Even Mai, who had been angry with him, had shown up. Where was she?

As if on cue, there came a quick knock on his door, and the gymnast herself appeared, looking disturbingly pale.

He did not welcome her; he simply stared for a moment and went back to his packing, unable to stand the horror that swelled in her eyes upon beholding his.

He tried his best to focus on his luggage, to keep himself composed, but as he felt her presence behind him he almost lost himself in tears once more. Ty Lee was safe, and she broke down his guard instantly. But he held himself together, controlling his breathing. For her sake.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there today," she said in a whisper, "I was afraid."

He didn't respond. He couldn't respond. He simply nodded solemnly and hoped she knew that he understood.

"I can't believe the general actually did that to you."

Zuko froze. She didn't know.

Oh Agni, how was he going to tell her?

He lifted his eyes and gazed into hers intensely. He hoped that if he focused on her pupils long enough he wouldn't be able to see the rest of her face. He didn't want to see the pain. "It," he started, his voice trembling violently, "it wasn't the general I had to dual." He could see her eyes widen in shock. He couldn't back out now. Taken a long, deep breath to stead himself he ended, "it was my father."

Her reaction was worse than he expected and he flinched from the look of terror that occupied her eyes, which, to his horror, had lost a little of their light. The last thing he wanted to do was kill of that innocent naivety, that blind faith in the world that made Ty Lee Ty Lee. As he saw the tears he dreaded begin to form in her eyes, he broke his stare; he didn't know how well he could cope with them.

It struck him as odd that, in this very moment, he found it far more difficult to say goodbye to Ty Lee than he did Mai. He would've felt guilty about it if it were possible for his heart to hold any more emotion. But, as it were, he was standing with the one girl who he was most pained to leave.

"Ty Lee," he began in a voice so rough it hardly sounded like his own, "that's not all." He dared to meet her eyes once more and he noticed how she drew a breath and held it.

He couldn't do it.

How could he tell her he had to leave? They were Ty Lee and Zuko – they needed each other. How could he possibly tell this girl that he was going to abandon her?

"Ty Lee," he tried again, barely able to contain himself, "I- he-" Now it was his turn to have tears threaten to fall. Agni, he loved this girl. Maybe not in the way he loved Mai, maybe not in the way a man was supposed to love a woman, but it was love nonetheless. As his departure time grew close and closer he was finding it increasingly harder to imagine that he could function without her. Ever since they had become friends she had become more of a part of him than he could ever imagine. She had become his confidant, his security, his comfort.

A life without his country or his home, how was he supposed to function?

"I've been banished."

For one terrifying moment he saw his friend turn to stone. She was completely drained of what little colour she had left and her beautifully large eyes were barren. He watched as they drifted to his bed where his luggage was and lingered, putting two and two together.

And then she looked at him.

And with that one look she broke his heart.

The way she looked at him was so utterly agonizing he couldn't help but turn his head. All he wanted to do was protect her from the world; instead her face made him believe that he'd ended it. He did look back at her. He _couldn't _look back at her. He didn't want to see the tears. And he never wanted to see her in as much pain as she was in ever again.

And so they stood in silence: one crying inaudibly, the other on the brink. Next to the day his mother left, it was the most excruciating moment he had ever lived through, and, as the summer sun slowly set, he felt the light leave his heart with it. It was time to go.

Drawing upon what little strength remained with him, Zuko gathered his belonging and headed for the door, only to be stopped by a small, fragile hand grasping his own for dear life. He didn't look back at her. He still didn't know if he could.

Then she spoke in a broken whisper, "I'm coming with you."

Zuko's golden eyes, flashed with uncontrollable anger and the room blazed red for an instant. He turned on the spot and broke out of her grasp, "like hell you are!"

He had ruined his own life, and he was not going to drag her down with him. How could she do that? _Why_ would she do that? Why would she leave her world behind to accompany him in his exile? He would give anything in the world to be able to remain in the Fire Nation.

And he did not want her to be with him. He did not want her to see him like this: broken and dishonoured.

The tears were flowing freely from her now, and he regretted how much his words had hurt her, but they had to be said. "I have to capture the Avatar and regain my honour," he said, bowing his head low.

She spoke once more, softly and shakily, "you never lost it."

All the blood rushed straight to his head. He had lost his honour. He had lost EVERYTHING. How could she be so insensitive at a time like this? She knew how much this was killing him inside, and she was telling white lies? What good would that do in a time like this? Make him feel better? Hardly. What he _needed_ was for her to tell him that he could do it, and that she'd see him again soon. He _needed _for her to wrap her arms around him and make him feel safe again, make him feel like his life would be waiting for him when he got back. But all she did was make light of his downfall. He couldn't believe that Ty Lee, his best friend, didn't understand how much losing his honour affected him.

He was shaking with rage as he looked her square in the eyes and said in a low, intimidating growl, "You don't know what you are talking about. Don't follow me Ty Lee, I don't want you to."

And with that he stormed from his room for the last time, leaving his best friend broken and crying on the floor.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Mai,<em>

_I'm so sorry._

_I can't even imagine how you must be feeling with Zuko leaving only yesterday, and I wish I could stay and help you through it. You're my best friend after all. But I've finally found my true calling: the Fire Nation circus, and I am leaving to tour with them._

_I hope you know that this doesn't mean I don't love you. And although you may not understand why, I hope you know that I'm leaving because I have to._

_I couldn't stay there Mai._

_Keep practising with your stilettos. I love you,_

_Ty Lee_

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry about the long update guys (: School has been pretty hectic lately and I predict it's only going to get worse. But I'll try to get chapters up as quickly as I can._

_Brownie points to all of you who knew the song without googling it (; I am impressed. Out of all the songs he wrote within his plays, the song of Willow is probably my favourite. I don't really know why I decided to use it; I just thought it kind of fit. And I love the lyrics, they're quite beautiful. I had the 1995 adaption tune in my head when I wrote it, so think of Ty Lee singing it like that. Without the accent (; _

_I wanted to also point out that I know the courtyard I'm referring may not actually be a courtyard per se. But I didn't have any other word for it when I started writing, so courtyard it shall remain :P_

_Also, I know I kind of make Azula seem like a bitch in this story. Like, a massive bitch. I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm playing the devil's advocate; I actually really like Azula. I find her character interesting and think her actions in the show stemmed from some deep insecurities. I mean, her mother loved her brother more, her father only wanted to use her, her brother, who most liked better, despised her, and, in the end, her only two friends betrayed her for Zuko. I can completely understand her losing her shit. _

_I could ramble on forever in these notes, but I'm going to stop myself right here (: I will try and update ASAP, but no promises ;P_

_Thanks for reading_

_x_


	5. Forgiveness

_A/N: As always, thank you for the reviews 3 Oh, and before you start, 'cross out' means the line/sentence written before it has been crossed out :P Just so you don't get too confused _

_Special shout out to Spry: thank you for your lovely reviews each chapter :P I always look forward to them. _

_randompandattack: I will try to work on that, thank you (:_

* * *

><p><strong>To err is human; to forgive, divine. <strong>There is no harder thing to do in the world than to truly forgive another human being. It is against our natural instinct to simply wipe it from our minds when someone has wronged us. However, but some miracle of the divine, we have be blessed with the potential. And there is not a better feeling in the world. When you forgive someone, you release yourself from the shackles of the wrong they've done you. Whatever has happened, it doesn't own you anymore. The fear, anger, hurt, resentment – it doesn't own you when you forgive. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. And in a world where everybody wrongs one another, forgiveness is truly divine.

* * *

><p><em>Dear Ty Lee,<em>

_I-_

_I'm sorry I left the way I did.__ (Cross out)_

_Uncle and I have travelled to every Air Temple, but there is no sign of the Avatar yet.__ (Cross out)_

_Do you remember that time we aggravated those komodo rhinos? And then we-__ (cross out)_

_I miss you._

_- Zuko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Zuko,<em>

_I've sat in front of this parchment for hours simply trying to think of somthing to write. Only one request ever comes to mind: please don't hate me._

_Oh Zuko, I know you probably don't like me very much right now, but please don't hate me. I'm so sorry about what happened that night. I've been kept up every night since thinking about what happened. I really didn't mean to upset you like I did. I was just so scared of losing you. I was terrified of not having you in my life, and I was right; these past months without you have been unbearable. _

_Stay safe, and do what you need to do Zuko._

_Lots of love,__ (cross out)_

_Yours sincerely,__ (cross out)_

_I miss you,_

_Ty Lee_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Ty Lee, <em>

_Six months has passed and there has been no sign of the Avatar. It's impossible that he could evade the Fire Nation for this long, and every time I think about him I just- urg! I just feel so angry all of the time! How am I ever supposed to restore my honour when the only way for me to do so has been hiding under a rock for the past 100 years? And I'm expected to work with an incompetent crew and Uncle who, may I add, is growing more senile by the day. _

_How did it come to this? How could I have ever spoken out against my father? Agni, Ty Lee, I'm so stupid! I've lost everything: my honour, my home, my family, my title, my girlfriend. _

_And I've lost you. _

_When I think of the way I treated you that night…I'm so sorry. I wonder if you will ever be able to forgive me. And I wonder, constantly actually, when and if I'll ever see you again. If I can find the Avatar then I will be able to return home. But will you be there? Are you even there now? _

_And if we do meet again, will you still be my Ty Lee? _

_- Zuko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Zuko,<em>

_Today I debuted my act in the Fire Nation circus. It was absolutely terrifying preforming in front of those people, but at the same time I've never felt more free. It was like I had found what I'd been put on the earth to do. It was fabulous. I wish you could've been there to see it. _

_Love, _

_Ty Lee_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Ty Lee,<em>

_I was so close. So close Ty Lee, you have no idea. I had him in my grasp. I HAD HIM! And I let him get away! _

_No doubt you've heard about what happened at the Northern Water Tribe by now, even if the rumours have been greatly exaggerated. Or understated. What you probably don't know is that I had the Avatar. I had him with me before everything happened. I almost had him! Agni, I'm so stupid!_

_But I won't give up. I will restore my honour._

_- Zuko_

* * *

><p><em>Dear Zuko,<em>

_I heard about what happened. Don't give up, I still believe in you. But more importantly, please be careful. I have a bad feeling about this._

_Love,_

_Ty Lee_

* * *

><p>Ty Lee gingerly placed her most recent letter among the many others she kept in an ornate red and gold travel trunk. Taking a final, regretful look at her hoard of scrolls, she softly closed the lid and locked it with a rusting key she kept around her neck. She slowly traced the cold metal decorations of the trunk which held inside the innermost workings of her heart. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes; she always needed to take a few minutes to recuperate after writing to Zuko. Whether it was a short, two-sentence message or a five-page journal, writing to him was…draining. But for all the letters she had written over the years, not one had been sent. Instead, they lay to rest inside the old trunk, perpetually gathering dust and, on the odd occasion, a few unsolicited glistening beads of salt water.<p>

She was still so sure that Zuko was upset with her; the look in his golden eyes that night…it was unforgiving. But she had grown so very used to his presence in her life that simply writing to him, even though she had no intention of ever sending the letters, was enough for her to sort out her complicated jumble of emotions. It was almost as if he'd never left.

Almost.

* * *

><p>Zuko stood in his temporary room, staring out at the pink blossom trees swaying ever so gently in the wind, fist tightly clenched like a vice around his piece of parchment. He let his eyes slid close as he steadied his breath, allowing the energy within his body flow through his vein. His eyes fluttered open and he looked down as he slowly scorched the letter in his hand until it was little more than black soot.<p>

Just one more letter than would never be sent.

He was frustrated with himself: two years and he didn't have the courage to send one single letter. But, in his defence, Ty Lee had never tried to contact him either. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the memory of his last night in the Fire Nation. Three years ago today. She was still upset. And why shouldn't she be? He had been awful to her when she was only trying to help. He could see that now; why couldn't he see it then?

But although he never envisioned actually communicating with her, once a week, without fail, he would find himself sitting at his desk in his bed chamber, talking to her as if they had never left from underneath their apple tree. More often than not he had nothing in particular to say; sometimes he would talk about his uncle, or his crew, or the diversity of animals he'd seen since the start of his journey. But it was the times when he was blinded with rage, or inconsolably miserable about his circumstance that he found writing to his old friend had an incredibly soothing effect. Especially after spending three weeks at sea floating on a piece of drift when he had been on the verge of capturing the Avatar, only to have him slip through his fingers, and then almost freezing to death. Yes, the past few weeks had been a little tense. He would sit and write, and by the end his thoughts were clear in his head and he could see straight. Then, without missing a beat, he would take the parchment in his hand and burn it.

He told himself that it was because he didn't need anyone's pity, especially hers; he would restore his honour himself by capturing the Avatar. But on some level he knew the truth: he didn't want her to see this lesser version of himself. It was for that reason too that he never tried to contact Mai. But the two girls were completely different. He was scared of letting Mai see how vengeful and obsessed he was because, in all honesty, he didn't know if she could love that part of him. But Ty Lee wasn't like that. He knew she would never cast him off because of it. He knew she would still accept him, no matter what. But that's precisely what made it so hard. Despite everything, Ty Lee was still his best friend; his chirpy, superficial, loving best friend who would blindly accept him.

How could he possibly disappoint her with what he had become?

* * *

><p>Ty Lee dragged the wet sponge across her skin, removing the thick layer of white and red paint that masked her features. It was quite pretty make-up, actually, but there was a limit. Even for her. She had only been in Ba Sing Se for a few days, but it was enough to drive her stir-crazy. She needed to get out of the palace.<p>

"I heard from one of the foot-boys in the palace that there's a new tea shop opening today," she said to Mai who was sitting behind her, fidgeting with her stilettos. "It's called the _Jasmine Dragon_. I was thinking about going."

Her friend gave her a stoic look in the reflection of the mirror, "Just make sure Azula doesn't find out. She'll be angry if she knows you've left." Mai returned her attention to her daggers, "and don't get noticed."

Ty Lee nodded eagerly and practically sprinted to the streets in her drab Earth Kingdom disguise.

As soon as she was out in the open she felt immediately better. Ty Lee was always one who needed to be outside in order to feel free. She stood in the Upper Tier for a few moments simply allowing the heat of the sun to absorb into her skin. Although it was only spring, it almost reminded her of her early summers at the Fire Palace when she was young, but she quickly repelled her mind from such memories.

It had been an age since she last wrote to Zuko and it had been far longer since she'd actually seen him. When Azula showed up at the circus she was forced to leave behind and trunk full of letters to her best friend. Three years' worth of apologies, superficial prattle and all things in between. And yet, he was never too far from her mind.

She wondered if he ever thought of her. Probably not. If he was ever going to think of his past life in the Fire Nation capital surely his head would be filled of thoughts of the girlfriend he left behind, not the silly child who made his last moments in his home utterly unpleasant. Right? But still, futile a wish as it was, Ty Lee still hoped that once in a while the young prince might look back on their younger days together. He might even smile.

How was it possible to miss someone so much after so long? Especially when you knew that they no longer felt the same way you did about them? It seemed like she missed him even more than Mai did, and Mai loved Zuko.

Yes, Mai loved Zuko.

Maybe she wasn't the only one.

Ty Lee physically shook the thought out of her head. Silly girl, he was her best friend's boyfriend. He was the crown prince. He was, once upon a time, her best friend.

That was all.

Yet still, it was hard to deny the soul-crushing loneliness she had felt for three long years. It was hard to deny her physical incapability to remain in the Fire Nation capital after he had left. Most of all, though, it was hard to deny the uninvited tears that sometimes overwhelmed her in the dead of the night when all she could dream of was the look of incomprehensibly in his golden, scarred eyes when he left her.

But these thoughts were too heavy for 10 in the morning. Ty Lee took in a big breath, plastered on a smile, and let her mind drift to happier subjects, like tea, for instance.

Ba Sing Se was a big place, and it took her a while to actually find the tea shop. However she knew she was in the right place, judging by the multitudes of people who were lining up for the grand opening.

Immediately Ty Lee spotted an Earth Kingdom boy with beautiful russet hair waiting near the front of the que. Gathering up all the pep she could muster, Ty Lee approached the lad and sweetly introduced herself. He was only too happy to chat with her, as they all are, and it wasn't long before the doors of the shop swung open.

Ty Lee filed inside along with the others and began to search for the owner; it had occurred to her that she didn't actually have any money on her. But that'd never been a problem before.

Her eyes made their way to the front of the store where she saw a younger man talking to an older one who looked a lot like…

Ty Lee's heart skipped a beat.

"…Zuko."

* * *

><p>The young Fire Nation pariah poured out the remaining drops of freshly brewed tea into the small, porcelain cups and set them on a serving tray. It was all he could do to try and refrain from letting a large, foolish grin from spreading to his face. He was happy for his uncle; happier than he had been in such a long time.<p>

He was about to lift the serving tray when he felt a strong hand clasp on his shoulder, accompanied by Iroh's voice, "I'll take it from here."

Zuko chuckled dismissively, "no, really, Uncle, it's fine." But the smile was soon wiped off his face when he turned to see his uncle's. The colour was drained and there was a panic swimming in his eyes that the young prince hadn't seen in many months.

Iroh simply said in a low, serious tone, "Zuko…there's someone here to see you."

When Zuko looked over the older man's shoulder towards the entrance he was expecting to see the menacing golden eyes that belonged to his sister, so when he instead met the now grey, doe-like gaze that reflected his own astonishment he felt rush of relief flood through him.

That feeling passed as quickly as it came and his stomach plummeted to the floor.

He knew he had to move, he knew he had to do _something_, but he legs were rooted in place, and his brain had neither the capacity nor will to move them. Instead he was stuck in a perpetual eye-lock with the girl who once knew him better than himself.

His head had long gone numb, but he was still able to absorb he being and study what changes had wrought her through the years. The first thing he noticed, the think he couldn't help but noticing, was her eyes. Those dear, warm, chocolate-coloured eyes that he used to love had vanished, just as he once predicted. These new eyes were dull and bleak; an ashen shade of grey that sucked out the warmth they had once held. _Oh Agni, _he thought, _what has Azula done to you? _But the more he looked, the more he came to realise that, although their previous vivaciousness was gone, they were still Ty Lee's. Still as large as ever, framed with beautiful thick lashed that dared not to blink, still reflecting the innocence and naivety of their owner behind her now blank-with-shock expression.

He wondered if she was still breathing. He wondered if he was still breathing.

She was dressed in a run-of-the-mill Earth Kingdom outfit which Zuko noticed but was unable to comprehend; the mere sight of her was already overloading his brain.

As his uncle's tea shop all but melted around him, Zuko entered a timeless void in which only he and this girl existed. So many thoughts and questions blazed through his mind like wild fire, yet he had no idea how to even begin sorting them.

He didn't know how long they had been standing there, simply staring at one another, but eventually a light touch on his arm dragged him back into reality. Unwilling, Zuko broke Ty Lee's gaze and turned to meet his uncle's. With simply a look, Zuko knew that he needed to talk to Ty Lee, even if only for the sake of Iroh and his harmonious life in Ba Sing Se.

He took large, even breaths, just as he would if he was about to command tongues of fire. This helped slow his heart rate, but that's about all it did. It took every ounce of courage Zuko had to glide, in a very zombie-like manner, to the front of the store and motion to Ty Lee to step outside. She was looking at him, but didn't seem to register anything.

He knew how that felt.

Eventually, Ty Lee managed to shake herself awake and slowly follow him out into the bright sunlight. There were so many people around, and this wasn't a conversation that should, or could, be had publically. So they walked.

They walked for at least twenty minutes in complete and utter silence, neither daring even to breath, until they were out of the residential zone, and found themselves at a rare, grassy field with a solitary tree.

_How ironic, _Zuko thought to himself grimly as he and his companion instinctively took a seat in the tree's shade.

It was a long time before either of them could speak. There were so many questions and emotions floating around that it was hard to find a place to begin. Each understood how the other was feeling and was able to respect the incapability of speech.

It was Zuko who was first to break the silence. His voice was low and rough and sounded as if it could break at any moment, "please don't tell Azula that we're here."

Ty Lee simply shook her head.

The silence sunk in again.

Ty Lee being here, in disguise no less, meant that Azula was nearby. And if Ty Lee and Azula were here together, that almost certainly meant that Mai was too. _Mai_. That was a relationship he would have to worry about another time. For right now, he had his best friend in front of him, his best friend that he hadn't seen in over three years, and, for some reason, the two girls didn't exactly co-exist harmoniously in his mind.

This time, it was Ty Lee who spoke first. She had always been so much braver than him, so it was no surprise that when she spoke in her rare timidly soft voice she was able to actually say what he couldn't. She was able to say what they both felt.

"I've missed you."

Zuko felt a similar pang of pain vibrate through his heart, but at the same time it felt oddly lighter. Like the shackles that had been weighing it down for so many years were finally released, simply by Ty Lee's voice. He shuddered. Ty Lee missed him! She had done the impossible and forgiven him. Of course she had; if anyone could've, it was Ty Lee. "I've missed you too."

He looked over at her with hopeful eyes, only to find hers brimming with tears. She continued, "You never wrote. I thought…I thought you were still mad at me."

Zuko felt his heart break. All this time she though he was still mad at her? All of this time she'd been beating herself up for a crime she didn't commit? The young prince felt stick to his stomach. How could he have let this happen? He was supposed to protect her, but instead it was his own words that had caused he so much pain. He was disgusted with himself. Her tears started to fall freely, and each one tore him up. He wanted more than anything to hold her, to wish her well again, to make her feel better, but he knew whatever he did would only worsen the situation. "Ty Lee…I'm so sorry." He wanted to explain her why he was sorry. He wanted to explain the he had never been mad at her. But his throat caught, and all he could manage was an artless apology that could in no way describe how he felt.

It was to his surprise, then, that he felt Ty Lee little arms secure themselves desperately around his neck.

Zuko froze instantly, his arms going rigid by his side. He had never expected anything like this and, to be honest, he didn't know how to respond. But as he looked down at the poor girl who had buried her tear-stained face in the crook of his neck, it all felt so natural. He gathered her tiny body up in his arms and pulled her closer to his body.

Everything about this situation felt so right, despite the fact that he knew it shouldn't. Having Ty Lee so near to him felt comfortable and calming. It was like being home again. The scent of her hair and feel of her skin was all so familiar after so long, he couldn't imagine how any of this could be wrong. It felt right to have her in his arms. He _liked _having her in his arms, and, when she raised her head ever so slightly to gauge his reaction, he liked the feeling of his own lips pressing themselves forcefully onto her delicately soft ones.

He expected her to jolt, to push him back, to move away; but she didn't. She simply closed her eyes and let herself sink further and further into the kiss. Her lips were the sweetest thing he had ever tasted, and he was already regretting the moment when he had to let them go. He relaxed his arms from their vice-like hold on her and let them be carried away with their own minds. He felt them run slowly down her back and settle on her waist as he felt her own, shaking hands find their way their way through his hair and enclose finally around the back of his neck. He pulled her closer into him, deepening their kiss until finally he was forced to break it off, needing to come up for air.

It only took a second and a breath of fresh air to bring him back to his senses, and when he did, the reality of what had just happened hit him like a brick wall. But he didn't regret it. No, if anything, it only made him want to do it over and over again. Instead though, he brought down his forehead to rest on hers. Merely inches apart, they both closed their eyes and absorb each other.

It was a while before Zuko spoke, and when he did he kept his eyes closed, but let the smile spread freely across his face.

"I think I've wanted to do that for a long time."

* * *

><p><em>Um…yeah. It's been a while :P No excuses; I'm lazy and lost interest for a while. But I'm trying guys :L On the plus side though, at least it's given a good time measurement. As in, the time it took me to update was roughly the same about of time that Zuko and Ty Lee had been apart ;) hahaha<em>

_In other news, I saw the pilot of the Legend of Korra (: Yeah, I know right? Very different. Completely different feel from the original series. It's hard to judge it after only two episodes, but I trust Michael and Bryan (well, not completely. Kataang my ass -.-). _

_*SPOILER* One of Aang's grandkids asks about Zuko's mother (with no answer -.-), so we've definitely got that to look forward to. Katara's still alive, but she says, "my brother and most of my friends are dead." I'm assuming Zuko's dead, as his voice actor is voicing a different character. Damn. I must say, I was unconvinced at first, but then Mako made his appearance and boy, did my heart skip a beat. FINALLY a sexy canon. Thank you, my dear creators, for creating what seems to be a reincarnation of Zuko. *END SPOILER* All in all, I'm keen ;P_

_Since my last update I've been reading a lot, and I can see more and more problems with my own writing. Um…I don't really know how to fix it. Hopefully though I'll end up creating a semi-interesting story from now on and you guys won't care as much ;) Hopefully. _

_I wanted to do more letters at the start between Zuko and Ty Lee, but I left them until the end and now I just want to get this damn chapter up :P_

_Anyway, I'm sorry again about the long update :3 I will try and do better ;)_

_Thanks for reading x_


	6. Loyalty

**True loyalty is one of the rarest qualities you will ever hope to find.** Humans, by nature, are utterly selfish. It is not because they are bad people, but rather it is a survival mechanism to only think of oneself. That's why it is so very hard to find another person who will put your needs before their own. But if you _can _find a person like that, never let go of them. They are worth more than all the gold and precious gems in than world. Absolute loyalty is a rarity.

* * *

><p>"<em>Ty Lee…" Zuko breathed in her ear, low and desperate. He drew the young girl back against him. His fingers slid slowly down to the base of her hips, pulling them ever so slightly closer to him. Ty Lee inhaled as inaudibly as possible; the sensation of being moulding against the narrow line of his hips threatened to overwhelm her.<em>

_She suddenly wanted nothing more than to melt into Zuko, and the surge of desire terrified her. She began to panic when he bent his head and pressed his lips lightly on her neck. It felt so right, but at the same time she knew there was something terribly wrong with the situation. Despite herself, a soft moan escaped her lips. The sound was so unnaturally her, her eyes fluttered and she struggled to focus despite the suffocating heat pressing down on her. Zuko pulled her closer yet. Her body quaked and she pivoted in his arms, pushing against his chest to create space between the two._

"_We can't do this," she gasped._

"_Why not?" His smile made her knees buckle._

_Ty Lee pulled her eyes away from him, trying to focus on anything but his intense golden gaze. Her body felt alien; hot and wild._

"_Zuko, no, you have Mai." She shoved him back another foot._

"_All I want is you, Ty Lee." His words wrapped around her, low and soothing._

_He trailed his fingertips along her cheekbone. His other hand slid around her waist, caressing her lower back where the slither of bare skin was exposed just below her pink top. A sudden quivering filled her limbs, and she hated how weak she felt._

_Zuko leaned forward, his thumb tracing the line of her lower lip. Ty Lee was almost downing in the heat when she realized he intended to kiss her. _

"_No." She darted out of his reach. Her body ached for his touch and her heart begged to be near to him, where it had always been, but her head was in a frenzy. "Seriously, we can't."_

_Ty Lee's heart slammed against her rib cage as she turned her back to him, desperate to escape his advances. She glanced back once, only to cringe at Zuko's thunderstruck expression. However when she turned back around, she was faced by something much worse; the heartbroken eyes of her best friend._

Ty Lee's eyes snapped open. She could feel her body go cold, despite her heart slamming so thunderously against her chest, pumping much more blood through her veins than usual. She took deep, long breaths to try and calm herself as she lay in her old room, staring up at a similar ceiling.

As soon as she felt like she could breathe again, she rolled onto her side and locked her eyes shut, curling up into a ball and holding herself together. This wasn't the first dream she had had since Ba Sing Se, and she knew it wouldn't be her last. It was always the same. Always the same, heartbroken eyes she saw.

It wasn't easy, having guilt gnaw at her heart every second. She believed the dreams were at least some form of penance. But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. As much as it felt so right being with Zuko, it still wasn't worth betraying Mai, her best friend. Zuko felt like home to her, safe and warm. She felt like she belonged in his arms. But how could anybody be that selfish? What kind of person would destroy their friend's life to secure their own happiness? However, even then, there was Zuko. As much as it broke her heart to admit it, he truly was her best friend, even more so than Mai. Would rejecting him cause even more pain than it would Mai? But then, how could she be so certain that Zuko did care for her more than his first love? Did she think so highly of herself to just assume that?

Ty Lee shook her head violently. Too many thoughts, too much confusion.

She lay in the darkness for what must have been hours, thinking in never-ending circles. All of the 'what ifs' seemed to come at once, and the longer she thought about it, the heavier she felt. Deep down in her heart, she knew what had to be done, and the thought threatened to bring her to tears at any moment.

She had never been ashamed of crying before. When she was little she used to cry at the drop of a hat, a little plea for attention. And now she could still cry in front of people when she was upset. She didn't believe in hiding her emotions. But when she cried in her bed, a soft, pitiful cry in the dead of the night, it was different. Her throat constricted dangerously and she tightened her hold around herself, fearing that if she let go, even just for a second, her whole being would fall apart.

She was going to lose him. The mirror to her soul, her best friend, her Zuko. She was going to lose him. She had to give him up. She had to give up everything she'd wanted since she was a little girl. Agni knows she didn't want to, and a part of her heart pleaded in desperation that she reconsider, but it had to be done. As much as she wanted Zuko, there was no justifying the heartbreak of another girl, her own best friend, who had been heartbroken for so long already. Even if it meant tearing out her own heart.

She could not betray Mai.

She was resolute on her decision, and the tears began to falter once the first rays of the morning sun bathed her room in light. It even made her smile the slightest smile. Everything was always better in the morning.

* * *

><p>Zuko paced around his moonlight-bathed room with bloodshot eyes and a thrashing headache. It had been this way since Ba Sing Se; he hadn't been able to sleep for more than two hours at a time, and even then his slumber was so nightmare-ridden that it barely counted as sleep at all.<p>

Then there were the headaches. The mind, Zuko had concluded, was not made to handle so many problems at once.

He ran his hand through is hair in frustration. He had never been this confused in his life.

He had done the right thing, hadn't he? Choosing to side with Azula? It had never been a good idea to do that before, but this was for the good of the Fire Nation, so surely he had done the right thing.

Right?

Zuko was the Crown Prince. His duty was to his nation. He did it for the good of the Fire Nation. The Avatar needed to be removed from the equation, and together he and Azula had accomplished that.

At least he told himself. If he were to be brutally honest though, he knew it wasn't for any noble reason. The truth was that he saw an opportunity to go home, to be accepted by his father, and to have his honour restored, and he took it. He took it even though it meant taking Azula's side. He took it even though it meant turning on the Water Tribe girl who had been so kind to him. He took it even though it meant betraying his uncle.

Is that why felt like he did? Because he was home again, his father accepted him and his honour had been restored. Only it felt like it hadn't. Had he made the right choice? His head was telling him that he did, but his heart…

And then there was the ever-present worry of Azula's subtle threat. The Avatar, Aang, might still be alive and now his father thought he was the one to kill him. As conflicted as he was about his decision, he wasn't about to give up what he had gained out of it.

He slumped back down on his bed, settling in the expensive linen. It was useless to try and sleep, but closing his eyes helped him to shut out the rest of the world. He had not even yet come to his biggest problem: Mai and Ty Lee.

As guilty as he felt about betraying his uncle it was nothing compared to how guilty he felt around Mai. After all, he loved her.

Be he also loved Ty Lee.

How does one chose between a soulmate and a best friend? It was an impossible task made even more unmanageable by the thought of hurting either one.

Firstly there was Mai, his first love. Ever since they had begun dating he knew they would never stop. Mai was cold and stoic in contrast to his passionate fire; a komodo-rhino and a rabaroohad more in common than the two of them did. However, she was still a good person; she had kindness in her heart, along with morals and integrity. She was intelligent, level-headed and down to earth, and, even though she had been through a lot, she was not a worse person because of it. She just took everything in stride. And, of course, she was undoubtedly his soulmate. He and Mai simply fit together, by arrange of the cosmos. It was their destiny to be together. She was his future Fire Lady.

But was destiny as strong as love in its purest form?

Because then there was Ty Lee, and what he felt for her was simply that - pure love. She was his and he was hers. Whenever she was near him, he could physically feel his whole body relax, completely at ease. And even if he removed sexuality from the equation, he still loved her, just as a person. A person who understood him so completely, who was the source of his greatest comfort and happiness, who was so completely and purely good that it made his heart ache. Charismatic, understanding and passionate. He loved all that she was, mind, spirit and body. He simply loved Ty Lee.

But was love as strong as resolute fate?

He thought of his time away from home, his time away from the two girls. It brought at saying to mind: absence is to love what wind is to fire; when its small fire, the wind extinguishes it, but when it's a real fire, the wind only intensifies it. That didn't help him though; neither of his flames had been extinguished.

From his bed he could see the bright white moon filtering light from above; he had always hated the moon. Of course, as a Firebender, a child of the sun, of course the moon would be his natural opposite. But it was something more than that too. Ever since he was little, all through his life, the moon had hung in the sky. In the darkest moments of his life, his mother's disappearance, his banishment, tonight, the moon had been there, projecting its radiance across him. Mocking him. In the times where he felt so alone the cold moon would shine brightly at him in contempt, flaunting its flawlessness. Unlike the sun, who shone just as brightly, but was an ever-constant source of warmth and life. A comfort rather than a torment.

How he hated the moon.

* * *

><p>Ty Lee crossed the courtyard at the palace. She felt physically disgusting, a result of the previous night's sleep, or lack thereof, and had a lump in her throat that constricted her breathing. She was in no shape to face Zuko, but it had to be done.<p>

She took her place seated underneath the apple tree. She wished he didn't have to do it there. In _their _place. It was special, almost sacred even, and she didn't want to taint it with this. However, it was the one place she knew the prince would find her. Besides, it was kind of fitting; almost all of their memories together came from that spot. This was just another one, possibly the last, to be added to the list.

The wind softly caressed her; a beautifully light breeze that helped her calm down. As she looked around the courtyard she was overcome by a flood of memories. The time she and Zuko had broken into the palace stables in an attempt to ride the komodo-rhinos, only to have them panic and stampede before they even got near one. It took all day for the guards to recapture them all while Ty Lee and Zuko hid in the courtyard, feigning innocence. To this day they still don't know how the beasts escaped. Then there was that time that she and Zuko lay underneath the apple tree for the entire day, simply talking. They talked about everything and nothing. They talked until they understood each other completely. They talked until the sun went down and, when they decided that they weren't done, they simply lay there and looked at the stars. Neither of them went home until midnight that night, and they took solace in the fact that the other cared, even if their families didn't even notice their absence.

There was when a boy, important at the time, broke Ty Lee's heart. Zuko found her crying under the tree. He simply sat with her, not saying a word, stroking her hair until she was all cried out. Later, she found out, said boy and his family moved to the colonies, which she found odd, as they were a wealthy and respected family. And there was the time that the two snuck out to a commoner's festival. That night was the most fun either of them had ever had, filled with laughter and dancing and _way _too much food, and they buried the evidence of it underneath their tree.

So many memories. She felt the lump in her throat grow larger, causing it to ache numbly. She bit back tears that were threatening to show. She was not going to cry. Today she needed to be strong. Just for today. She could fall apart later.

"Ty Lee?"

She whipped her head in the direction of the voice, but she already knew who it was.

"Hey, Azula."

The young princess eyed her suspiciously, and Ty Lee's heart rate went up a notch. It was odd, she knew, for her to be there. The girls had long since abandoned the courtyard as their place of meeting. It lost its appeal along with the children's games.

Azula, of course, didn't miss that fact, "What are you doing here?"

"I…um…" Ty Lee stammered, frantic for an excuse, any excuse. However, it was in vain; there was absolutely no reason for her to be where she was, except for the actual reason, which she would never admit to Azula. Suicide, much? Desperatly, she looked around, hoping by some miracle Zuko would be there to intercept his sister. Azula, however, didn't miss that either. Her eyes narrowed slightly and a smirk stretched across her face.

"I think it's time for a chat Ty Lee."

* * *

><p>Zuko made his way out of the palace, head still in disarray. If he had all the time in the world it still wouldn't be enough for him to sort out his jumble of emotions. Last night barely even made a dent.<p>

He did come to one resolution though: both girls needed to know what he was feeling. Everything needed to be out in the open to avoid more severe wounds later. That meant telling Mai that he had feelings for her best friend, which was probably in-between telling his father that the Avatar might still be alive and getting into an Agni Kai with Azula on a list of things that he wanted to do. At least in those two instances he had the sweet mercy of death.

However, it had to be done. There was no running from it.

He stepped out into the courtyard from the side walkways and, to his surprise, found Ty Lee and his sister in a sort of confrontation. 'Confrontation' being the applicable word instead of 'conversation', as it was evident that Ty Lee wanted to be anywhere else.

She was standing with her back to him, so she hadn't noticed him yet. This struck him as odd by itself, as she could usually identify a person's presence within 50 meters, by way of her training or her gifts with auras. The fact that she hadn't noticed him only alarmed him further. Something wasn't right.

Azula, however, had noticed him. Her unforgiving eyes flickered to him for only an instant, and then returned her gaze to her prey, her smirk growing the slightest bit wider.

He was just about to interfere, to space Ty Lee from whatever his sister was thinking, but stopped in his tracks as he caught wind of their conversation.

"Well, surely you're here to meet _someone _Ty Lee, and it's not Mai or me," Azula interrogated harshly.

Both Zuko and Ty Lee became very still. She was waiting for him? It was silly, but the idea still made him a little giddy with pleasure.

Ty Lee didn't respond.

Azula's devilish smile spread and it dawned on Zuko: she had figured it out. For all of her many, many faults, the Fire Nation princess was no idiot. Somehow the brief encounter had been enough for her to put two and two together.

"Well that really only leaves one other person, but you can't _possibly _be here to meet Zuko, can you?"

Zuko could see Ty Lee's knees begin to wobble slightly and barely heard the "no" she whispered with her head ducked.

"Are you sure? Because that would be really odd, wouldn't it? I mean, you two are friends, _obviously_. I remember you used to talk in the exact same spot when you were little. But now he's actually Mai's boyfriend. I think it would strike her as…odd that you two were still meeting up." Her golden eyes narrowed, "haven't really come very far from the old days, have we, Ty Lee?"

Although he couldn't see her, he could picture the alarm on Ty Lee's face. It must've looked something like what was reflected on his.

It had to stop. Immediately. But before he could interject, he was once again stopped by their conversation, only this time it was Ty Lee's voice, raised in anger, that made him still.

"Of course not Azula, you shouldn't think such things," the smaller girl said with vehemence. The forcefulness in her voice startled Zuko. "There is _nothing_ between Zuko and me." The emphasis she put on 'nothing' hit him like a blow to the gut, knocking with wind out of him. "First of all, like you said, he's Mai's boyfriend. How could you think I'd do something like that to her? And secondly, you're wrong; Zuko and I were never friends. How could we be? He's so surly and serious all the time. He always has been. Why would I be friends with a person like that, let alone anything more?"

Zuko took a step back. _Lies, _he thought, _she has to be lying. _ Still, lying or not, the words drilled into his brain, hurting him more and more the further they entered. He wanted nothing more than for Azula to just disappear so he could look into Ty Lee's eyes, to search her and know that she didn't mean a word of it. But the fact was that she said them anyway. That meant that, at some point, she really would have had to have thought those things about him, and it was something he never expected from Ty Lee. And, if he was being honest, he really didn't expect her to stand up for him. He understood how difficult the situation with Azula was, but to even deny their friendship? Hadn't they been through too much for that?

Azula's face flooded with mock relief and then, addressing her brother, she said, "Isn't that great, Zu Zu? No fights on your behalf then."

From there, everything he expected to happen did, only in slow motion; Ty Lee's body becoming frozen, her turning to him with absolute horror in her gorgeous eyes, her mouth opening and closing, without a single word or sound ever escaping her lips, and his complete lack of ability to look at her face.

They stood in silence; her staring at him, him staring anywhere but her, and Azula staring at the both of them, proud of a job well done.

It was a while before Zuko could speak again without fear of his voice breaking, but when he did he mustered up all the coldness and distance he could manage and, looking straight into Ty Lee's eyes he said, "Yes. It's a good thing that you wouldn't be friends with a person like me."

With that, he turned on his heal and walked out of the courtyard with as much emotionlessness as he could retain. It was only when he had reached the safety of his room, far away from _her,_ far away from anyone, that he crumpled to the ground, utterly alone.

* * *

><p>Ty Lee's heart plummeted to her stomach as she watched Zuko leave. Oh Agni, what had she done? Her first instinct was to follow him, but Azula's boring gaze stopped her in her tracks.<p>

It was lies, of course. Surely he knew that. After all they had been through how could he think any different? And he knew that she _had _to lie to Azula.

But still, Ty Lee wanted nothing more than to follow him.

So she did, but before she could even make a step, Azula's voice rang in her ears, "And just where do you think you're going now?"

Something inside of Ty Lee snapped. Why the _hell _was it any of Azula's business where she was going or who her friends were? She loved Zuko in so many ways, and it _killed _her to know she had hurt him, and she was not about to just sit around a let him continue to think that she didn't love him, regardless of what Azula said. She couldn't run her life.

Ty Lee stopped looked her friend square in the eyes. She didn't need courage, she simply didn't care what Azula thought or did anymore, "I'm going to find Zuko. I lied before. We are friends. And I know what I said hurt him, so I'm going to see if he's alright. Is that _okay _with you, Azula?" She could see the surprise in the young princess' eyes; this was the first time she had ever stood up to her. But Ty Lee didn't stop there. She had to call Azula's bluff, "and you know what? I don't care what you tell Mai."

And with that she left Azula in the same manner Zuko did.

She made her way to Zuko's room with her heart pounding wildly; would he even see her? She was glad there was no reflective surfaces around the Palace, she didn't think she could handle looking at herself right now.

All the horrible things she said. Even if she didn't mean a word of it, she still said it, and Zuko still had to listen to it.

Maybe it was for the best. Maybe now Zuko could see that Mai deserved him more. Maybe now Ty Lee didn't have to break his heart because she couldn't anymore.

She rapped timidly on his door. _Maybe this is for the better, _she kept telling herself, _a clean break. _

No answer.

She sighed. Of course not.

But she knew he was in there, and so she opened her mouth to speak. _Zuko, I'm sorry you had to hear that. I didn't mean any of it._

_Zuko, I'm sorry, but this needed to stop. You have Mai._

_Zuko, please, please don't hate me._

_Zuko, you know I was lying. You know I had to._

Those were all the things she wanted to say, that she was _supposed _to say. But when she opened her mouth, only three words came out.

"I love you."

* * *

><p>"I love you."<p>

_I love you._

As angry and injured as he was, the words still flooded through him, filling every part of his body with a warm comfort. Even with his world as dark as it was right now, Ty Lee still managed to bright in a ray of sunshine. It was like she was the sun itself.

But it wasn't enough this time.

This thing between Ty Lee and him needed to be put to rest. It was hurting him, it was hurting Mai and, above all else, it was hurting Ty Lee.

He loved her, he thought, more than anything else in the world. She was his Ty Lee. His comfort, his confidant, and now, his lover. Somebody who understood his entire being, better than even he did. And them being together made _sense_. It simply _fit. _It was, in a way, exactly what love was supposed to be.

But love has never been perfect.

As much as he loved her, how could he be with her if it made her unhappy? Becaause, even though he may love him back, that's exactly what she was. Ty Lee was not made to be a traitor. She was fiercely loyal, he knew that, and she wouldn't have gotten into this mess for anybody else but him. Since Ba Sing Se he had never seen her smile once, unless they were together. And even that felt like it was a mask.

How could he be responsible for taking away her smile?

He couldn't. He would not let that happen.

Slowly, he rose moved towards the door. He could do this. He _needed _to do this. For her. For the girl who had done so much for him. Once more, he drained the emotion from his face and opened the door.

And there she was, as breathtaking as ever. Her large, doe-like eyes looking at him in expectation and anxiety. Her honeyed lips quivering ever so slightly, trying to find words. Her flawless skin slightly flushed and radiant.

Why did Agni hate him so?

But he didn't let it show. Instead, she simply looked into her eyes, feigning hardness in his.

She was the first to speak, "Zuko…I-I didn't mean it. You know that right?"

The young prince kept his frosty gaze, "I know."

"So…does that mean you forgive me?"

Agni, she smelt so good.

He simply nodded. Now for the hard part, "I didn't really care to be honest," he said, adverting his eyes and looking over her should. _Lies, Ty Lee, I'm lying. _"But I want to end whatever's been going on with us lately." _More lies. _"You know, with Mai and all. Because I love _her_." _Lies, lies, lies. _"Anyway, I'll see you around." _One final lie._

And with that, he closed the door.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm sooooooooooooooo sorry 3 I honestly came into this chapter with the best of intentions, hoping to have it up within two weeks of the last one. But then I hit a massive writer's block, and then school got hectic, and time just slipped away._

_Please don't hate me ):_

_I'm also sorry that nothing much actually happened in this chapter :/ The result of writers block. But I promise I will make it up to you in chapter 7 :D_

_ The Emerald Doe: You have no idea how happy you made me. I was absolutely cheering. Maybe he and Katara have been having an affair this whole time? ;) hahahah._

_Speaking of Korra, how keen is everybody on Iroh? I legit cheered. Made the entire series ;)_

_And yes. I get confused with practise and practice. I know which is the verb and which is the noun it's just when I use them in sentences I can't tell which I'm using it as :P hahaha. _

_The next chapter will be the last. I will really try to get it up ASAP, but no promises. You'll just have to bear with my laziness. _

_Thanks for reading x_


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